Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - BREAKOUT? Iowa Hawkeyes Top 10 Players to WATCH This Spring Open Practice — Tony Diaz & Iose Epenesa Lead
Episode Date: April 22, 2026Iowa Hawkeyes fans are on high alert as quarterback battle heats up between Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski, with the offense set for a major shake-up. Could emerging talents like Tony Diaz and DJ Vo...nnahme finally ignite the passing game, or will Iowa’s defense remain the key to a breakthrough year? Trent Condon spotlights the top 10 players to watch at spring practice, from potential breakout star Kamari Moulton at running back to defensive anchor Bryce Hawthorne. The show breaks down position battles, transfer portal impacts for both men’s and women’s teams, and looming questions at center and defensive tackle. With Jan Jensen still hunting for key roster additions and Iowa softball knocking off the Cyclones, the Hawkeyes’ path to Big Ten contention is wide open. Follow Trent Condon on X: https://twitter.com/trentcondon LISTEN TO THE PODCAST: APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-hawkeyes-daily-podcast-on-iowa-hawkeyes-football/id1441592240 SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0GTyz5ygevcGXdTF6QSoEo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnHawkeyes Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get two-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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We're counting down the days to the open Iowa's practice on Saturday.
Today we take a look at the top 10 players you should be keeping your eye on.
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 Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast,
your daily Iowa Hawkeye podcast.
Busy show here for you today.
Iowa softball with a big victory.
off Iowa State, even this season series against the Cyclones.
We'll talk about the transfer portal, both men's and women's.
Some updates there, some former Hawkeyes finding new homes.
And how is Jan Jensen going to fill out her basketball roster, as she still has work to do in the transfer portal?
Today, though, we're talking football at the top as spring practice is just days away.
The open practice will get our final glimpse of this football team before August comes around.
We'll get one look at them then in August when we have the Kids Day practice.
and that'll be it until the opener when Iowa opens up the season this year.
Top 10 players.
We're going to break things down here,
talk about some offensive guys,
some defensive guys.
We got a special teams in there as well.
And these are going to be the guys.
I think overall,
these are some big picture items.
We're not diving real deep into the guy that might be a second string left guard.
We're not going to go into that.
These are the players that are really going to decide,
I believe, this season,
and how successful it's going to be for Iowa football.
And starting here at number 10.
And at the running back position, obviously we saw a year ago,
Kabari Bolton, once again, very solid.
He was that in a backup role a couple of years ago to Caleb Johnson,
got the more full-time role this season.
Want to see a little bit more burst hearing last week.
Jay Norvell talk about him, though.
A lot of great positives coming out.
And if he can find that extra gear and take those eight-yard gains
and turn them into a few more 20-yard gains,
that's going to go a long way, certainly for Kamari Moulton.
But L.J. Phillips, there was a reason they went in the transfer portal and got him from South Dakota.
Incredibly productive a season ago with the coyotes.
He was able to put together a season where he rushed for nearly 2,000 yards,
a guy that a little bit lower to the ground, but he is thick, solid.
And seeing how he looks in this Iowa offense and how his skill set works in there,
is this going to be more of a timeshare?
Is there an opportunity for Phillips to unseat Kamari Moulton as the starter?
how that's going to look. But in terms of intrigue and when you're trying to get your first
eyes on somebody new, that's something you're going to be hearing plenty about here today.
Number nine on my list is a wide receiver. No, not that one.
Evan James, the other transfer wide receiver that comes in this season. Now the return of Reese
Vander Z is big for this squad. There's no doubt about it, getting him back out there and
hopefully a healthy season in his junior campaign for Reese Vander Z because we've seen the big
playability that he has. Dayton Howard's been.
been around. He's made a couple of big plays in his career at a touchdown against USC. He had a big
play late in the game against Rutgers when they came back to get the victory there. But for me,
Evan James is a guy coming out of Furman, incredibly productive during his career at the
FCS level. See how that translates because we just haven't heard nearly as much as much as a guy
will talk about a little bit later coming out of the portal. So excited to get my eyes on number six,
Evan James at the wide receiver position. Number eight on the list. We'll
It's a name certainly Hall.
Hawkeye fans know it's an Epinessa.
This one is Yosei.
Yosea Penaena on the defensive line.
And as we've talked about plenty here this spring and going back all the way to the offseason leading into it, Iowa's production on the defensive line.
We know the question marks in the middle.
There's no doubt that is, I believe, the biggest question for this Iowa football team going into 2026 is what the interior, the defensive tackles look like for the Hawkeyes this year.
But if Jose Epinessa can take that big leap in year number two in the system,
still just considered a red shirt freshman.
But if he can take that leap and become a productive, every down player, that's going to go a long way.
We heard good things about him last year during a camp, heard good things about him during the course of the season.
Obviously, had two veterans in front of him at defensive end.
But just again, getting your eyes on Yosea Pinesas, seeing that development going up against guys like Trevor Lauken practice,
Jack Dotsler each and every day, the improvement that we've seen from Yose Epinessa.
He's got the bloodlines.
He definitely has the athletic ability.
He's got the size.
We'll see if he can put it together here during his red shirt campaign.
Coming in at number seven, we go to the offensive line, and it's Kate Piper.
Because I want to remind people a little bit and just remember what the center position looked like early in the careers of the last two that turned out to be studs in Logan Jones and Tyler Linderbaum.
you remember for both of those guys.
Now, for Logan Jones, it was basically a year-long process where he really struggled making the transition.
Now, that's different than Kate Peeper.
He's been an offensive lineman since he showed up on campus, not a defensive tackle, like the aforementioned duo.
Still, Kate Peeper is now kicking inside at the center position, certainly going to help him, I believe, for the next level with his size.
Center is the most likely place that he's going to play.
But it's not just about snapping the football, though that's a piece of it.
It is having all the line calls, getting everybody set.
getting everybody in the right spots.
And maybe there's been some growing pains this year,
but there are growing pains with those two guys before him too.
Want to see how he is acclimated to that position.
If there's going to be flexibility there,
if it's no doubt about it,
that Kate Peeper is going to be the center
or if we're going to see a little bit more movement up front there.
Now, one thing we also have to remember each and every time
we have one of these open practices,
yes, there is going to be a lot of tinkering.
You're not going to see full 11 on 11 with the ones versus the ones
and everybody's going to be out there.
It just doesn't happen during the course of spring practice over 14 practices before this.
We also know there's going to be guys that are banged up and there's going to be guys that aren't going to be out there.
But just want to get a look at Cade Piper.
I feel great about Trevor Lalk.
I think Dotsler is going to be very good there.
We saw a year ago at the guard position what Leighton Jones was able to do when he was thrust in the lineup because of injuries a couple of different times.
And we'll see at that other guard spot if that's how it plays out what that's going to look like is a guy.
going to be a youngster like Lucas Allgaier as Michael Mislinski going to get that
finer year of eligibility.
So still a lot of question marks.
I think of that other guard spot outside of Layton Jones.
But Kate Piper comes in at the next spot for me.
Finally, in the top six through 10, number six is Cam Buffington.
Now, Cam Buffington is a guy that has been also one of the buzz guys of the sports.
Now, a couple of years back when the trio of linebackers came in all from Eastern
in Iowa, all within, what, about a hundred-mile triangle of each other. Preston Reese,
Derek Weisskoff, and Cam Buffington. You just wondered, kind of how they fit, how they were
going to go together. I know Reese a year ago got a lot of buzz before the season began. He was on
the freaks list that was put out by Bruce Feldman of the athletic each and every year and
created a lot. But what we've heard out of Cam Buffington is this guy's ready. He has absolutely
done everything possible to get him an opportunity to be on the field. Will it be a middle
linebacker will be at the other linebacker spot.
We'll see about that.
Of course, there is returning experience there with Jane Montgomery,
who started in the back half of the year a season ago.
But he definitely has the measurables.
He definitely is a guy that can go sideline to sideline when you're talking about
athletic ability and some of the great linebackers of the past.
That is a guy in Cam Buffington that's been talked about a lot.
Linebacker is a spot that overall, I just don't get overly concerned about
with what Coach Wallace does.
Obviously, Phil Parker, the defensive coordinator.
It feels like they're just always going to be able to plug and play and at least be fine there.
But we saw a step back a year ago from what we saw previously, Jay Higgins and All-American,
Nick Jackson, how tremendous he was.
And now is it time for some of these young guys to shine?
And I think Cam Buffington definitely at the top of the list.
So those are five names for you.
We have five more, the top five players to keep an eye on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
We'll tackle that next.
We got some transfer portal updates for you as well.
Stay right there as we continue.
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Back to the top five, our top five now of the most intriguing players to take a look at
on Saturday during the open practice.
As we continue, definitely one at number five for me is an important one.
And that's Bryce Hawthorne.
He was part of the rotation a year ago at defensive tackle, of course,
had some veterans in front of him, comes in from side.
Dakota State. He was a guy we heard right away when he showed up on campus. They really liked him,
thought the skill set definitely was going to be there for him to be an incredibly productive
player. Well, now he's the veteran of the group. He's got the most snaps. He's seen the most
experience in the most playing time at the defensive tackle spot. And now Iowa really needs him to
take the leap, be able to take the leap and be out there seemingly 75, 80 percent of the snaps,
something like that, which is difficult to do. He has been banged up a little bit during this
spring period and that definitely hurts his development but a guy tremendous upside good size in the
middle definitely can fill it up out there that is a guy that you talk about the importance of the
defense yeah game buffing it's going to be important some of the other guys we're going to talk about
they're going to be important but maybe nobody more important to bryce hawthorne if he plays at a high
level i was got a chance to have a special season number four we go back over to the offensive side of the
football and it's DJ Vonami.
Vonami, the tight end, who burst onto the scene in the back half of the year a year ago.
Of course, the injury to Zach Ortworth, I definitely opened things up there.
Addison Estringa's injury, open things up.
Orthworth, guys like that at the tight end position.
And all of a sudden, here comes this guy from Carol that just was turning heads.
You're looking at the next great tight end for Iowa.
Thomas Meyer, I think he's got a chance to be special down the line, too.
Out of Clear Lake, we saw him a little bit a year ago.
but Vonami, certainly a player that has that chance to really have a special year.
Now, one thing we don't know about the tight end position, the injuries that they've had,
is how it is going to play out in the Tim Lester offense.
Everything clicking, everything going the way that Tim Lester wants.
How involved is the tight end position going to be?
I just don't think still we have a very good handle on that and what it's going to look like.
And because of that, I think that is something to keep an eye on on Saturday.
seeing how they utilize the tight end position, how he's going to be out there,
different things that they're going to do with him,
and seeing if we can find him up the seam a couple of more times.
We saw a couple of big plays, certainly in those last few games of the season from Vonami,
excited to see what they get out of him.
We continue here in our top 10 list of players to watch on Saturday at the open practice.
Number three, he is going to be the star of the defense this year,
and that is Zach Lutmer.
Now, you know, Lutmer is obviously going to make.
place. I mean, do you just see this guy and there's something special about him? He shows up,
much like the Cooper DeGine story, who hadn't played cornerback before, and he's thrust in there as
a freshman against Nebraska. Lutmer hadn't played cornerback until last year. They moved him over
as they were moving things around. Yes, you want to see him out there, but I think most importantly,
you want to see where he is. Is he at the cash position? Is it cornerback? Is it one of the normal
safety spots, either free or strong? His versatility is, I'm
absolutely incredible and where he can play in this defense.
That helps a ton.
Injuries are going to hit.
You're going to have guys, maybe they don't play well enough, whatever it is.
We know Phil Parker demands a lot out of his defensive backs and what his expectations are.
Zach Lutmer can do it all.
So where does he fit in this scheme?
Where are they playing him and fighting the other positions that go along with it in that back five?
It's going to be important to see how that plays out.
I just more want to see Lutmer, want to see him making plays.
but I want to see where he's making those plays for.
Number two is maybe a little bit of a cheap.
So David Eichold reported from 24-7 sports
that looks like Tony Diaz going to be out for the rest of the spring.
But then I heard Chad Leickew on his great podcast, Hawk Central,
that you can also hear on my radio station I work at,
106.3 KX&O along with the Iowa Sports Radio Network.
And he mentioned on what would have been Tuesday evening
that he thinks of Tony Diaz is back.
Now, I don't know if he's going to be back,
and we're going to see him,
but boy, the buzz that has been created
out of this wide receiver out of Rio Grande Valley.
Yes, when Alabama gets involved with an Iowa recruit,
it usually doesn't go very well,
but this one did.
Iowa got the services of Tony Diaz,
and Diaz has been turning heads all over the field.
If we just get that glimpse, please, Kirk,
I mean, fingers crossed here,
I'm begging you,
just give us a little bit, maybe even for a couple drills.
It doesn't have to be during live action.
I just want to see the dude out there with my own eyes,
running around, doing some things out there
because you talk about a guy that has been all over the social media clips
that Iowa football has been about.
It has been Tony Diaz making play after play after play.
And as we have been just wanting, waiting, hoping to get some kind of wide receiver
production from Iowa football here recently to have a guy,
like this to have the excitement that goes along with it.
Certainly is something to be fired up about, let's hope, at least a glimpse of Tony Diaz.
And finally, the number one most intriguing guy to keep an eye on on Saturday at the Iowa
football open practice.
I kind of cheated again.
The quarterbacks.
Yes, the two quarterbacks, the two guys vying for the job and who is going to be
the starter come game one this season against NIU.
It is both Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinsky.
All right.
So it's a top 11 list.
Get off my back.
Tide for number one is Hank Brown and Jeremy Hacklinski.
Look, we've talked about this a ton.
I think most everybody, if you're in every day or you know my perspective.
I want to see Heklinski.
I want to see the guy that has the ability to move around a little bit more,
has some more athleticism to him.
He's a gunslinger.
He's looking to make plays down the field.
He is just a guy that is incredibly intriguing.
He took over the backup role after the Indiana game,
leading into the matchup against.
Wisconsin. If that got in late in that game against the badgers and had a rushing touchdown in that
one, at Glinski's the guy. I want to see it and want to see how debilitating the size is. Is it something
that is a concern at 5 foot 10 at the quarterback spot if that's going to be a problem for him and
seeing that in live action. Hank Brown, how much of a step forward is he taken also? I get it.
We go back to a year ago. He had the screen pass against Indiana. If he completes that, Iowa beats
the Hoosiers. It's as simple as that. There's not a doubt in my mind. I would have got the first down.
They ran the clock down. It would have been a chip shot field goal. And Iowa would have
beat the national champions. That's how close they were a year ago. And Hank Brown just missed
the pass. He just missed on a screen pass. And that is where frustration lies. But guys can
improve. And when you're talking about options, this reminds me so much of Jake Rudok for
C.J. Beatherd was the gunslinger. Beatherd was the guy that was willing to push
the ball down the field.
And the more safer option,
the more Kirk Farrants-like option,
was Jake Ruda.
Well, now we have something very similar here.
Hank Brown, the safer option,
maybe not the same kind of ceiling that you have with Hecklinsky.
But the other part is the movement,
the ability to move around.
And though Heklinski is not going to be confused
with Lamar Jackson,
he's not that kind of runner.
We saw what athleticism has meant
at the quarterback position in the Tim Leicester offense recently.
You go back to the arrival of Brendan Sullivan and what he was able to do in comparison to Cade McNamara.
And then last season, obviously the running ability for Mark Grunowski, that went a long way.
That's why I like Keklinski more.
We'll see what we see on Saturday.
And a lot of people going to have a lot of eyeballs on that.
A lot of eyes on the transfer portal as well.
An update from the men's and women's side.
We'll get you up to date on that.
Plus Iowa softball gets the win against the in-state rival Iowa State.
As we continue, stay right there.
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Over to the Transfer Portal.
A couple of updates here first on a couple of guys that have moved on.
from the University of Iowa.
Now, one, a couple of years ago,
and Owen Freeman has found a home.
Owen Freeman, after spending a year at Creighton,
it was not a very good year at Creighton,
even with the money that he committed in the transfer portal.
He went back to the portal again,
and he has showed up in Auburn.
Matt Gatins, of course, was part of the staff back
when he was in Iowa.
I assume some connections, certainly there.
We'll see maybe Gatons and Little Pearl over there
can get him reignited to the guy that we saw
in the front half of his freshman year.
But when awry, his second season in Iowa City,
ended with a finger injury pretty early in the year.
That one stung.
Questions about how much desire is there,
how much want is there,
a finger injury that seemed to take a long time to heal.
And then Creighton this year,
a Creighton team that came in with some expectations.
Some people had them as a top 25 team coming into the season,
and they fell woefully short.
of that this year.
Owen Freeman, his last year,
Fray McAfrey gets fired.
Owen Freeman this year,
his coach decides to retire.
Do you put them together?
Make your own conclusion on that front.
And we'll see what Bruce Pearl's son
down at Auburn in year number two
after just missing the NCAA tournament
what they have in store this season.
Big one, Alvaryl Fulgaris.
I will always love Al.
He will be a guy that is long remembered
in Hawkeye lore
of what he did knocking off Florida,
what he did in the Sweet 16 victory against Nebraska.
He's always going to have certainly a soft spot for me
because of what he did in those performances.
But if you watch him throughout the course of the year,
you knew he was terribly inconsistent.
He could be incredibly frustrating.
And we saw that again in the Illinois game in the Elite 8.
Well, he has found a home.
Al is going to Louisville,
a place that definitely has money,
definitely as willing to spend as we've seen in this transfer portal cycle.
And I think for both parties, this is good.
Elverro Fool Garris is going to get paid.
He's going to get, again, another big season like he got in Iowa this year,
and likely the price tag even increase from what it is.
But Hawkeye fans, maybe look at it this way.
Think of this in terms of the NBA, the NFL, Major League Baseball.
And think of this as a trade.
And Iowa traded, well, the salary, along with a very inconsistent player in Elverill Fulgaris,
and they traded for something that they desperately needed.
We know that centers are the highest paid position in the transfer portal,
and they went out, and they traded for Andrew McKeever.
So if you look at that realm, and I know it's not a straight swap,
because Al's not going out to St. Mary's, but you'll get where I'm coming from here.
Think of it that way.
What would you rather have, even with the great memories that Alvaryl Fulner,
Garris gave us this season, what would you rather have?
Another power forward, a guy that wasn't great when he had to play center, a guy that
maybe could be a little bit moody, a little frustrating, and certainly inconsistent,
or a 7-foot-3 guy that had the best offensive rebounding rate in the country,
who adds size, adds what you desperately need against some of the Big Ten's biggest teams,
including Illinois, who brings back both of their big big.
guys from a year ago. They're going to be big again next season. What would you rather have?
I think the trade worked out pretty well for Iowa. Speaking of Andrew McKeever, the 7-foot-3
center coming in from St. Mary's. I saw this little nugget from Sean Bach of Hawkeye
Insider 24-7 sports that right before McKeever was set to make his announcement, he got a call
and some interest from Duke. Yeah, that Duke. And when you hear that,
I think your ears perk up just a little bit.
McKeever is a guy that also had interest for Michigan.
Now, both Duke and Michigan didn't look at him as centerpiece options.
They don't look at guys likely that McKeever was even going to be a starter for them.
But they had interest.
Yukon had interest.
We're talking about some of the best programs in the country were sniffing around.
That is good.
Now, came down to Cincinnati and Iowa in the end.
And those were going to be starting opportunities, certainly for him.
McKeever, the pick and roll game.
We've talked about how good he is in that setting.
I think this is a good thing for the Hawkeyes and definitely excited about that.
And thanks as always to Sean Bach and all the great guys over at Hawkeye Insider.
Love all the work that those guys are able to do.
Finally, over on the women's side, they're still looking to fill out the roster.
So we got the huge bump.
I mean, you talk about a Transfer Portal edition.
ESPN ranked it, the number three player in the portal in Danny Carnegie.
Well, now, as we know, she's an Iowa Hawkeye.
They went out, got Amari Whiting on what she's been able to provide a 3-D, maybe type of player,
maybe more the D than anything as opposed to the three,
but still really good defender, a senior, a veteran presence,
played a lot of college basketball.
That's going to help with the team that is still young in a bunch of different spots.
You bring back Stremblo and Hayden and Chit-Chat, Right, and Leila Hayes,
and now you have those two transfers.
McKenna Willichgo comes in this season.
we'll see.
Still looking, though.
The other name that's been talked about a lot is Reagan McCohen from over at Western Illinois,
took visits to Iowa state to Missouri and to Iowa,
what her decision is going to be.
Not a whole lot of names out there at this point from the recruiting services,
but now you've got to find those players that are willing to come off the bench.
Those players may be willing to come to Iowa knowing there's probably not going to be a whole lot of playing time.
And I mentioned this a week ago.
That might be even more difficult than getting some of the top level players that they've been able to get out of the portal.
Is finding those players that are going to fill holes 9, 10, 11, 12 on the roster,
depending on how deep that they want to go this year.
You would think at minimum they want to have 11 players if a big injury hits this season.
Probably 12 is even the number.
And what else they're going to be doing?
Is it going to be walk-ons that they're going to be looking for?
Is there some of those players that have a big entry hits this season, probably?
some local ties that would just be happy to put on the Hawkeye uniform, practice every day,
maybe be able to get in at the end of some blogs.
Finding those kind of players out there in the portal, it's going to be a difficult task,
I think, for Jan Jensen and company.
Finally, Iowa softball gets it done against Iowa State, two to one victory.
Great news there after losing earlier a couple weeks ago against the Cyclone women,
the Hawkeyes bounced back and still building that program up.
Tons of talent here in the state.
Great success back in the 90s under Gail Blevins and trying to get that.
softball program back to where it should be. They're fighting to be in the Big Ten tournament.
Top 12 do advance to a single elimination tournament for the Big Ten tournament coming up here in
just a few weeks. Schedule's got a chance to get there, but got to start piling up those
big 10 wins to get in to the Big Ten tournament. That'll do it for today. Thanks for being with us
on your daily Iowa Hawkeye podcast. Hey, if you've got some names for me, top 10 players,
you're most intrigued it. I didn't even talk about the special teams. That's something certainly
to keep an eye on. We'll have some more names for you.
In fact, how about this?
Tomorrow, we're going to dig a little bit deeper.
We're going to go into that next tier of candidates.
I said today we were going to talk about the backup left tackle.
Well, we might be talking about that one tomorrow.
We got you covered, your daily Iowa Hawkeye podcast, Locked-on Hawkeyes.
Again, you want to check us out and have each and every one of your episodes ad-free.
It is the everyday air club for you.
You get locked on Hawkeyes every day, ad-free.
Go to Lockdownhawkeyes.
dot com locked on hawkeyes dot supercast.com is where he can do go and help us out here on the program.
We'll talk to you again tomorrow until then.
Go hawks.
