Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - BREAKING: Hawkeyes HUNT for Left Tackle | Will Ferris State's Bryce George SOLVE Iowa's Left Tackle CONCERNS?

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Football Transfer Portal is open. We let you know where the Hawkeyes are shopping today. Locked On Hawkeye. You are Locked On Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey, welcome in. I'm Trent Condon and this is the Locked On, Hock Guys, your first listen every day. Part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. I'm Trent Condon. I've been covering the Hawkeyes for over 20 years on the radio and a lifetime Hawkeye

Starting point is 00:00:31 fan. Today, we take a look at the transfer portal for college basketball and what new coach Ben McCollum is working on. Plus, we'll be joined by Scott Dockerman of the Athletic Association. And we'll be joined by the new coach, Ben McCollum, who's going to be joining us on the Hawkeye fan. Today we take a look at the transfer portal for college basketball and what new coach Ben McCollum is working on. Plus we'll be joined by Scott Dockerman of the Athletic with his insight into the world of college athletics and the Hawkeyes. But we begin today with the portal opening in college football for the spring period. Now historically this is a time where you're not

Starting point is 00:01:04 going to see the same depth that you see in the portal of the fall period or the winter period after the regular season wraps up. That is going to be a little bit different than certainly we are used to and the sheer number, the volume of players that are going to be entering here. You got to kind of pick and choose. You got to be a little bit more choosy. So let's start with an overview of where the Hawkeyes are and what they're going to be looking at here in this period before we get into a couple of names that are incredibly intriguing. So you start with who they lost, who was out. And as we talked about earlier in the week, every dayers, you know about this and a big shout out to you everyday fans of lockdown Hawkeyes, Brendan Sullivan, of course, former quarterback, couple

Starting point is 00:01:41 of starts here, couple of starts at Northwestern. He'll be looking for a home to complete his eligibility. Gavin Hoffman, also a guy that's been lost here during the spring. Hoffman was one of the better prospects that Iowa got a couple of years ago in the class, not even a couple of years ago, I guess it would have been the class of 2024. Boy, how time goes quickly, right?

Starting point is 00:02:00 He was a guy though, had some big time offers, tight end prospect. They were intrigued by his athleticism. I do go back though, to when, had some big time offers, tight end prospect, they were intrigued by his athleticism. I do go back though, to when they had the big group coming in out of that class and the group together. He was the last one to commit. Some people said that, and just personality wise, he was a little bit different, a little bit separated

Starting point is 00:02:19 from that group that got so close out of that class together and he was a little bit different there. He'll be looking for a new home. Talent, not a question about him, but you look at some younger people that you heard a little bit more about that also came in that class. Gotta put the work in.

Starting point is 00:02:36 And Gavin Hoffman is not going to be doing it with the Hawkeyes. The big blow, I believe, for the future is Joey VanWetsigup. And after his brother I was told that it was gonna be difficult likely for him to make the cut down to 105 He started looking around and they wanted the opportunity to play together and you could understand that you can get that that idea That thought playing together and wasn't going to be able to happen at Iowa because of the change in the roster limits in the past This would not have been a big deal where you can have 125, 130 guys on your roster.

Starting point is 00:03:07 Remember, that is not the case anymore. The roster is capped at 105. So all players, walk-ons, everybody that's involved with the program, 105 is your roster limit. And that leads to a walk-on program that has been incredibly important to Iowa is going to have to look a whole lot different going forward and and that's a demerit. That's

Starting point is 00:03:28 a problem for Iowa in the way that they've done things historically in the way that it's going to be. Van Wetsinghe also I think wanted a chance at least to compete on the defensive side of the ball. They had him targeted for the offensive side. Now when you look around you kind of see what Iowa's been able to do. The guys that thought they were defensive linemen turned them into offensive linemen and what it turned out to be. The latest addition obviously is Tyler Lindnerbaum and what he turned into, but there's been a few others. What's happening in the middle right now with Jones, you kind of look

Starting point is 00:04:00 back and say, you know what, if they want me over there, then you take a look at some of the paychecks that are either coming or already there. In the case of Linderbaum, you say, you know what, I'm going to listen. Not the case. And not going to happen there. And then finally, John Nestor, who moves on, and that leads to really the questions. We talk about those last two positions. Offensive line for Van Wetsegon, though he wasn't going to be part of the plans this year. John Nestor was going to be part of the plans. He was gonna be a guy that was going to be competing

Starting point is 00:04:26 for a job, a starting job at a cornerback spot, what they were gonna do with the cash position, and some moving back and forth, and at least providing depth at those kind of positions. Well, that's not the case anymore as Nestor moved on. So we start with where they're looking. The positions that I was going to be looking for in the transfer portal

Starting point is 00:04:45 I get it a lot of people right away Their mind drifts to wide receiver and I see it all the time you go to social media you can follow us on at lockdown I were myself at Trent Condon and You see a wide receiver enters the portal even if there is absolutely no connection to Iowa Maybe a guy that never in a million years even if there is absolutely no connection to Iowa, maybe a guy that never in a million years would even think about coming to Iowa. And right away you see the Hawkeye fans in there,

Starting point is 00:05:09 please, please, please make it happen. I believe Iowa's happy with their death. Now, of course, if there was a good wide receiver prospect that Iowa had some ties to in the past and they came calling, they're not gonna not take their phone call. I mean, that's silk. However, I believe Iowa believes that,

Starting point is 00:05:26 and Tim Lester believes, they're at least in a decent spot at the wide receiver position. And overall, this roster, there are more important parts. It's very rare that we say that, that it's not wide receiver that is issue number one with the roster

Starting point is 00:05:38 when you're looking through it. But this year, because of the depth that they have, I don't know if it's high level depth, but it is deep, something that hasn't been the case at the wide receiver position. Offensive tackle, specifically left tackle and cornerback. Those are the two most important starts,

Starting point is 00:05:56 and spots, excuse me, and one of those spots already, Iowa is lining up a visit with a offensive tackle, left tackle from Ferris State University. Bryce George is his name. So Bryce George has already scheduled three visits. This is a player that is well-covided. Now, another thing that we have to remember, because there is not the number of players

Starting point is 00:06:17 that is normally in the portal in the other period, that this is going to be something where you're going to have a lot of people that are going to be interested, and if they have the money at this point they haven't spent whatever they have as it pertains to their budget there's gonna be teams that are gonna be coming. Iowa, Cal, USC are the three that Bryce George has lined up visits. A Division 2 prospect from Ferris State played in 14 games last year and has played in 41 career games.

Starting point is 00:06:46 Iowa right away was involved 6'5", 315 pounds, has won three national championships at Ferris State. That is pretty, pretty good for him. Let's be honest. I go back to two years ago. Iowa brought in an offensive tackle I think we were all excited about, and De'John Parker, in Dejaun Parker.

Starting point is 00:07:05 And it didn't work. It got banged up and it never clicked. It never happened. When you're talking about guys making the jump, there are the success stories, but it's not all the time. And I think we have to temper our expectations really with all transfers. But offensive line maybe even a little bit more. It is a step up.

Starting point is 00:07:25 And now I think of a guy that saw here in the state this year that made that transformation, Jalen Travis at Iowa State, who very well could be an NFL draft pick. Now he was injured in August camp and it was slow to get out there. But when he did, there was coming even from Princeton, there was that transition period to go through.

Starting point is 00:07:42 There's always gonna be a transition, but I was still looking. I think eventually Trevor Lough will be the guy at left tackle But if you can build that bridge you can get one more season with the transfer one-year guy at left tackle Lough gets a little bit more experience this year and then as your starter in 2026 I think that's a good thing and then the cornerback spot they continue to look for depth They're no names yet on that front. But of course, we will keep you covered here on Locked On Hawkeyes. Let's go deeper into the Hawkeyes, talk about some spring football with Scott Dockerman,

Starting point is 00:08:10 plus a little basketball talk, and just college football in general with what's happening with Nico Aimeleva, just the craziness in the portal. We'll do that as we continue. Talk with Doc next. This is Locked On Hawkeyes. There's nothing like the atmosphere of an NBA playoff game. Every bucket, every defensive stop, every moment feels huge.

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Starting point is 00:09:44 You know where college athletics just another layer to this NIL pay-for-play, whatever you want to call it, the Nico Iamaliva situation in Tennessee where there's no contracts right now, so I guess there's nothing holding these guys to their verbal commitment to play for whatever it was, $2.5 million dollars and right before the spring game comes up he says you know what I'm gonna need four million just to stay here this year. Is this the tip of the iceberg doc? Where do you see stories kind of this ilk going? Will there be more? Yeah there's gonna be definitely more of this but I think in this situation, in

Starting point is 00:10:25 some ways I think it's healthy. People are throwing it around like it's the end of the times when it comes to college football, but I actually think it's healthy discussion. Tennessee, even the teams that people who hate Tennessee are believing that they did the right thing, which was call his block. He's tried to renegotiate before multiple times. There's at least one report that says he was not going to sit out the playoff. I don't know about that.

Starting point is 00:10:56 If that ever happens, then go do something else with your life if you're going to sit out of a playoff for financial reasons. But I think in this situation, I think it's healthy that the sports is reaching this crossroads of how much leverage can the players have and how far does it go. Now if he was somebody like, coming off a season like a Jane Daniels or something at LSU, then maybe they they do called you know uh... renegotiate but but it's just it's unusual for this time of year i think that a lot of this

Starting point is 00:11:31 probably goes on more in the winter time that it does here and and this is this is a bit odd but i think it's healthy that they're having this discussion because i think now it kind of resets the market a little bit brendan, Doc, as we switch gears a couple of minutes on Hawkeye football with you. Brendan Sullivan, I think he did the right thing for himself. I do look at the writing on the wall and obviously he wasn't going to start, probably wasn't

Starting point is 00:11:58 going to play, wasn't going to be back up. Hank Brown looks as though he certainly has the tools to deliver that. And Sullivan's got an opportunity to move on and maybe start somewhere, certainly play more significant snaps than he seemingly would have at the University of Iowa. With your thoughts on Brendan Sullivan moving on with one year of eligibility. It's the way the world works these days and I don't think anybody faults him. I think we've seen some really nice things said and written about him by people who know him best, his former teammates and coaches, people around that program feel really good

Starting point is 00:12:32 about him as a person and what he brought, the leadership that he displayed and this entire off season. So from that perspective, it's kind of a, you know, we understand, sorry that this had to be the outcome, but Iowa does have somebody who's really good waiting in the wings once he's completely healthy. I mean, he's as good as they've had in a long, long time, and that doesn't get brought up enough. And I think with Brennan Sullivan, you know, again, you know, he has one year left, and

Starting point is 00:13:02 he doesn't really have that chance to start here unless something bad happens to Mark Grunowski. So I think it makes sense. He wants to go start. There are opportunities out there and maybe Tennessee would be one of them or the ripple effect after Tennessee grabs whoever is best available in the portal or something that maybe he can find somewhere else too, but you know, it's, you know, it also says that Iowa has some, you know, ability under behind him and Hank Brown and I think, you know,

Starting point is 00:13:31 they're conflicting discussions, I would say. I mean, the ones that have been closer to me have said that Sullivan was better than the Brown right now, you know, and I know I've had a couple of message board posts that said it the other way around, who knows, you know, who's right, but, but I've heard more of the Sullivan, it was more of the clear number two at this point. But, but that said, I think that's, you know, there are right now at like 105. So they're at the perfect spot going forward and then, you know, see what happens in the portal, you know, in kind of a couple of days.

Starting point is 00:14:05 This office needs to click with wide receiver play, Sam Phillips bringing in some speed. They have depth at the wide receiver position, something that has been a rarity. You've listened to Tim Lester a bunch, you've talked with him. Is this the guy that's going to get it figured out? The run game improved, the offense as a whole improved a year ago. How much upside is there still in the passing game for this year's Iowa Hawkeye team? Well, it can get much worse than what they've had last few years. Relative here on this, but I think it'll be considerably better. First of all, who's going to be throwing the football? I mean, Mark Grunowski is a legitimate NFL prospect. If he was healthy,

Starting point is 00:14:42 he'd be a draft pick. And so he's thrown 93 touchdowns in his career and I think that adds a lot. I think the receivers have gotten better. I had one person who's intimately aware and sees every defensive snap practically and he's told me, he said that this year that the offense is making it very difficult for the defense. They're giving them all they can handle. So I think that's fascinating, and you can look at it in two different ways. One, the offense is improving,

Starting point is 00:15:10 and that's a great thing for Iowa, too. What was the defense? I guess we'll find out. But either way, this offense has made significant strides, and I expect it to do so. Will the wide receivers be better? Yeah, they should be better. Are they gonna be good?

Starting point is 00:15:27 I don't know. We'll see. But I think having a couple of the better linemen back in the country, having a good tight end and some good running backs, I know LaDelle Betts really praised Kamari Moulton and TJ Washington in particular as guys that he thinks are gonna really take off this year.

Starting point is 00:15:44 And looking at Kamari Moulton last week, he's gained 30 pounds and just looks rock solid and still has his wheels and his quickness. So I think that this offense is ready to do something it hasn't done for a while, which is score with consistency. Doc, I know that for a lot of people, I want to ask you an NFL draft question. You were at the combine. I say that this is kind of people, I want to ask you an NFL draft question. You were at the combine. Say that, you know, this is kind of a down year for the draft. I don't know if it is or it isn't.

Starting point is 00:16:11 I'm excited about it. You know, one of the reasons I'm excited about it is kind of the local flavor. There's going to be a lot of clones and a lot of hawks, I think, that hear their name called in the seventh round. Maybe as many as seven combined might hear their name called. For that reason, I'm going to watch it regardless because I'm a draft Nick. I like it. But there is some state of Iowa intrigue when it comes to our two local teams.

Starting point is 00:16:35 You buy that? Yeah, I would expect there to be at least five cyclones and potentially seven or eight Hawkeyes. Well, more so. Well, it was low. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I think on Iowa State's end, I think you've got three guys who can go in the second round. I think both receivers, Jalen Noll knocked it out of the park

Starting point is 00:16:55 when he was at the combine. So did Darian Porter on the defensive side of things. And then, and Jaden Higgins we know has been a really good performer. He might be a second, third round guy, but but he's gonna be a second night guy for sure Jaylen Travis, you can't you know, you left tackles are a premium. You're gonna have him He's gonna be he's gonna be up there and you might you know, you might see somebody else sneak in there somewhere to Jared hover Hufford or Malik burden, you know somebody like that, but on the Iowa side

Starting point is 00:17:23 It's a little bit murkier because I think it's about what teams are looking for. Like for instance, we expect Caleb Johnson to go in the second round. And then that's pretty much par for the course wherever he goes. And then after that, I've seen multiple thoughts on say Sebastian Castro and Jay Higgins and Luke Lachey, whether

Starting point is 00:17:48 they could be third round guys or sixth round guys. And, you know, Y.A. Black is another one where somebody's going to love this guy. I, you know, there was one offensive line coach in the Big Ten who was just like, who is this guy kicking our butts, basically, without, with some other words, throughout the whole game. And this is when one of our reporters was asking about, you know, some other defensive linemen in the Big Ten. So he's going to go, you know, and then then you start to wonder, OK, Connor Colby, Mason, Richmond, you know, their Iowa offensive lineman, you know,

Starting point is 00:18:22 do they sneak in somewhere in the draft? So all this being said, I mean, I think it shows that both universities in the state do an outstanding job of development and moving these players up. And I think we're going to find that out on that three-day weekend that next week that all these players are going to be, there's going to be a lot more that are going to go and sign free agent deals as well. So the spring portal is going to be opening. You guys at the Athletic of course will have things covered over there.

Starting point is 00:18:53 As we start to normalize the portal as much as it can be normalized, what is the spring period? Is it overrated? Because boy, I remember going back to a year ago, Iowa was looking for a cornerback. They could never seemingly find a cornerback And we saw kind of how that played out last season Are we gonna see a bunch of guys entering the portal as I'm a leaver what we saw they're gonna kind of lead to an onslaught Here, what do you anticipate this is gonna look like?

Starting point is 00:19:17 You know, it's the secondary market It's kind of it's not quite as irrelevant as the second signing day has become in February, but it's in that same ballpark where you're gonna see guys enter the portal and already have or announce that they're going to that are looking for different opportunities and that's fine. I don't fault anybody who, let's say, and I was like a John Nester, for instance.

Starting point is 00:19:41 Maybe he decided, and this wasn't entirely the case, but I'm not moving up far enough, quick enough, and I need to go somewhere where I can play. Or you're entering your junior year, you're a sophomore now and your junior year's in the fall, and you're not gonna get an opportunity to make the depth chart. Then that's probably time to evaluate your path in life.

Starting point is 00:20:03 Either you go play somewhere else or you stick around and get a degree and go from that. And I think that's kind of what we're seeing with the portal that there's going to be a lot of guys out there. Are they good? Or can they fit? And there's going to be a few but I think it's also going to be a pick-to-part market. And I'm not sure how many teams have a lot of money to spend because you've got this you know know, settlement that you're trying to figure out and piece together and you've got guys on your roster you want to pay. So

Starting point is 00:20:29 there's just a lot here that goes into it. And I think in Iowa's case, the two areas that I think that they need to address, unless they addressed it, you know, in practice is left tackle and corner. If there's somebody out there that they can afford, that can help, then they'll do it. If not, if they're better off just sticking around and developing and getting their mistakes in and moving forward, then they'll do that. So I think every team is kind of in that ballpark. And I would say the same thing, probably, for Iowa State at this point. Scott Dockerman from The Athletic. Doc, what have you got coming up this week at The Athletic? I've got a couple of things that have kind of been sitting for a while.

Starting point is 00:21:09 I've got a story kind of about Iowa State that needs to get out there and it was going to go if they would have made the Sweet 16, otherwise it's been held now. But just kind of holistically on Iowa State and I'm writing about Illinois and its opportunity to do something it hasn't done which is really be a player at the national level so I'm writing that right now and yeah then the draft so just had a draft meeting so are you going to Lambeau oh no no no I wouldn't know I've been to the draft once and I'll never go again it's much easier at home to cover that. Or at an NFL stadium. So no, the draft is a circus. Good stuff.

Starting point is 00:21:48 Doc, we'll look forward to that. The Athletic, thanks for doing this. We'll speak with you next Monday, Scott. Thank you. All right, have a good one. You're the same Scott Dockerman. We check in on a variety of topics. Thanks again to Scott Dockerman for joining us here as we continue Locked on Hawkeyes.

Starting point is 00:22:03 Let's go from a lot of football talk, get into the basketball. The latest on Ben McCollum, still searching for that big man. Who is the latest? And the big names that I was competing against in the portal for some big men. That's next, Locked On Hawkeyes. Ever check your bank account and wonder, where did all my money go? Between dining out, online shopping, and entertainment, it's easy to lose track. That's where Monarch Money comes in, your personal CFO giving you full visibility and control over your finances. Monarch Money isn't just a budgeting app, it's a complete financial command center.

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Starting point is 00:23:37 Thanks for being with us and making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. We roll into the basketball front and two names that bear some mentioning as it pertains to the portal. So last weekend, I will brought in big guy transfer portal candidate Alvaro Bulgaris for a visit. Visited last weekend. He is Villanova. A lot of people believe maybe the four runner at the forefront for him. He had three visits set up and is currently at Villanova if the timeline matches up then coming up next week We're going to hear Duke Brennan is making run

Starting point is 00:24:11 He's coming in from Grand Canyon both these guys will be tremendous two guys that skill set similar guys that can stretch the floor a little Bit as bigs but good rebounders and I think would fit in well in the McCollum system problem with Duke Brennan are already some big schools after and I think would fit in well in the McCollum system. Problem with Duke Brennan. There were already some big schools after the Grand Canyon transfer, but now some blue bloods are getting involved, including Kansas.

Starting point is 00:24:33 And if we know anything about the Jayhawks, Muddy's not a real big object for them. Yes, Iowa is in a better spot in men's basketball as it pertains to the portal. However, not in Kansas. We're not fishing in those waters that the Jayhawks are. So if that comes to pass, if they miss out on a few other targets, could be a little bit concerning there for Duke Brennan. They'll continue to work. I believe in Ben McCollum. I am as excited for him as a coach as I've been for any

Starting point is 00:25:03 coach in quite a while. I believe it's going to work. But ultimately you've got to have dudes. And they will continue to try to get those dudes. Another Portal candidate, Enus, who is the D2 kid. He has, I believe, concluded his visits at this time, so might get some word pretty quickly on that front. Keep building this thing up up and away we go. We'll have plenty of basketball portal conversation with you.

Starting point is 00:25:27 Plus the women's side of things as they missed out one of their top targets earlier in the week with the UCLA transfer, missed on that one. So back to the drawing board again for Jan Jensen and the women's basketball program. And as more candidates emerge on that front, we'll make sure to pass them along. Your team every day. that's what we do here on the Lockdown Network and what obviously we have going on right now in the transfer portal. We will have you covered on that front.

Starting point is 00:25:54 Tons to get into each and every day as more names emerge on the football front, basketball, women's basketball, all there. Plus we got to talk a little bit wrestling, baseball team after their series win against Nebraska, on the women's softball team, what they've been doing, putting themselves in good consideration, lose their midweek game against Iowa State. But a big series coming up for them this weekend in the Big Ten as they try to punch their ticket into the Big Ten tournament. A lot going on. We got you covered every day here on the Locked

Starting point is 00:26:20 On Hawkeyes podcast. And not just Locked On Hawkeyes, we got you covered. And of course, the NFL Draft is right around the corner. Make sure if you're a second-listen, you check out Locked On NFL Draft with Damian Parsons and Keith Sanchez. As your favorite collegiate players, get ready for the next level. Get the latest draft rankings, rumors, and news every day.

Starting point is 00:26:40 Find Locked On NFL Draft on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. That'll do it for today, back at it tomorrow with you. Thanks for being with us. Shout out to you every dayers with us each and every day. We'll talk to you tomorrow. Until then, go Hawks!

Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - BREAKING: Hawkeyes HUNT for Left Tackle | Will Ferris State's Bryce George SOLVE Iowa's Left Tackle CONCERNS?

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