Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - FUTURE SECURED? Iowa Hawkeyes Sign Extension with Beth Goetz, Athletic Programs EVOLVES

Starting point is 00:00:01 Iowa's locked up athletic director, Beth Gets, for a contract extension and a major win for the Hawkeyes. Stability, leadership, and a clear vision make this a great move for the future of Iowa Athletics. 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. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes, your first listen every day. Today's episode is brought to you by CalShe for a limited time. Download the CalShe app and use Code Lockdown to get $10 when you trade $10.

Starting point is 00:00:47 Coming up on the show today, we will hear from some of the football players and an assistant coach from last week at Iowa Football Media Day. John Budmeyer in the spotlight and offense that certainly hopes to take a step forward in the passing game. The wide receiver coach will hear from him a little bit about some of the young. coming in. The transfers, of course, headline by Tony Diaz and Evan James, what they've been able to do at this point in the season. We'll also hear from the players, speaking of those two, Evan James and Tony Deyes. Also, conversations with both of those guys from over in Media Day, including Tony Diaz, how he handled his first winter in Iowa. We'll also hear from Brevindal, the Speedster from ADN, ADM, and a potential special teams ace for the Hawkeyes coming up this year. Iowa basketball has released their non-conference. schedule for this year. We have known for a while the 20 games that will comprise the Big Ten schedule. We will talk about the non-conference slate, including a bunch of headliner games on neutral floors. But we begin the conversation today with big news from earlier, and that is Beth Gets getting a contract extension from the University of Iowa. Now, there has been some speculation,

Starting point is 00:01:56 and as AD jobs have come open across the country, Beth guest name has been out there at different times. Most of it is here from the local front. People may be concerned, looking around those kind of things. So that's where I think a lot of the Yanks maybe was out there because Beth gets to this point has done an incredible job as the athletic director, managing what is changing this different environment that we're going through, obviously, in college athletics. Into the NIL era, how important that is.

Starting point is 00:02:25 We saw the emergence of the Swarm Collective, and now that has a different look at what's going to go and go forward now with the flight funds and going into the athletic department. Obviously the TV deal, what that means for a Big Ten institution. But being able to compete, compete with your peers in the Big Ten and across the nation that are in this similar spot. And Iowa, across the board, has done a very good job. So the contract extension for Beth Gats goes through 2032,

Starting point is 00:02:52 tacked on here to the end and the extension that is there for her. But the biggest piece of this is the increase in salary, now getting to the midpoint of the Big Ten from Scott Docterman of the Athletic with the contract extension gets his pay increases from $850,000 a year to $1.4 million, which is about the Big Ten midpoint. There has been a lot that has happened already taking over for Gary Barta, the role that she had previously and then stepping into the role as the athletic director. You know, I mentioned some of that speculation also. There were some talk, Michigan looking for a new AD with Ward Manuel on his way out.

Starting point is 00:03:29 Is that potentially a place that could be making at least phone calls and inroads to Beth Getts, but alas, that is not the case it appears at this point in time. That aside, though, back to what she's done in transforming the athletic department. We talked about the changes in college athletics, how different things are at this point in time. And that is a big part of this of what she's been able to do in navigating what has happened there, just how you pay athletes and how you do that and keep an affair and different coaches wanting to do it in different ways, maintaining your football program. And that has to be at the top of the list, really for any athletic department out there.

Starting point is 00:04:04 Yes, there are certain institutions. There are certain places that other sports matter and matter a ton. But we know the front porch of your athletic department and where your money is generated is the football program. Yeah, there's times coming on the heels of Caitlin Clark. You want to keep that momentum going and maybe put a little bit more in your money into women's basketball. Ben McCullum, you're number one. You want to give him the ability to hit the ground running. And obviously he was able to do that.

Starting point is 00:04:30 Iowa with the proud wrestling program in the history that they have, that's something that you want to invest. But when all these things come together, you also have to have the component. You can't forget about football. And Beth Getz has definitely done that. We go back to Gary Barta. And when he implemented the drive for 325 for Brian Farrants as the offensive coordinator, and they have to get to the benchmark in order for him to keep the job,

Starting point is 00:04:55 and really put things in a difficult spot. And after Barton departed and in an interim basis, Beth Getz was the one that had to navigate that. An incredibly difficult situation for everybody involved. You have the nepotism part of it with Brian Farrant, obviously the son of head coach Kirk Farrant's, a longtime coach that has a son in a role, a role that maybe he would not have had without the last name.

Starting point is 00:05:17 That's a conversation for a different day. But with that hanging out there, instead of letting it drag on, Instead of letting it continue just faltering and flying in the wind like it was at that point, she ripped off the band-aid. Not an easy thing to do. I'm going to guess that Kirk Ferrence was not pleased about it when it happened and happening in season, but she knew for the betterment of the program a decision needed to be made.

Starting point is 00:05:41 She was steadfast in that went out, made the decision that Brian Ferrence would not be back. And now we've seen the growth out of the Iowa offense the last two years. And now the hope that they can take yet another step forward. and that Tim Lester, the ultimate choice by Kirk Farris to become the offensive coordinator, that that is going to take a step forward in the passing game again this year, coupled with what they've done in the run game the last two seasons. That is the hope, but it needed a push, and that push came from Beth Gets, and it's not easy to make that decision and somebody young on the job, but she did,

Starting point is 00:06:13 and it was the right course of action. Not just that, but also she had another big one. A couple of big ones out there, and already look at her coaching hires, have been pretty successful to this point on the basketball front. You start with women's basketball. Now, this one was a little bit easier because of the timing of the decision by Lisa Bluter to walk away, to step away from the program and go into retirement. Well, it's easy, right?

Starting point is 00:06:36 You go with Jan Jensen. But there were other names out there from Jenny Bronchek, a former Iowa player, who's done great things at Oklahoma, other names. But instead of, again, waiting because you also had another component coming off of Caitlin Clark and her career coming to a guy. close, you also had a pretty good commitment. And if you didn't make that decision very quickly and keep Jan Jensen on board, what does that mean for Lucy Olson? And if Lucy Olson's not aboard, then suddenly we're going to completely different level. And we're talking about maybe ultimately two

Starting point is 00:07:07 years ago, I would not be an NCAA tournament team. That was the case. I get it. You look at Jan Jensen the first two years and the frustrations of what happened in the NCAA tournament. From the Poor performance against Virginia and the overtime loss a year ago. Even the first round game that was more difficult than it probably should have been in that point. The blowout loss against the aforementioned Jenny Bronzik and Oklahoma in the round of 32. Yes, the fan base wants to see more out of this program, but they're still selling out the building. The crowds are still there. And absolutely it feels like Jan Jensen continues to build the program up and getting it to that sustainability and the level that Hawkeye fans hope for.

Starting point is 00:07:47 Maybe the most difficult one, maybe even more difficult than Brian Farrants, is what Beth gets dead in getting rid of the all-time winningest coach in Iowa basketball history. To jettison Fran McCaffrey, where people were kind of looking around scratching their head and saying, Iowa basketball is doing this? What are they doing firing a guy that was a consistent winner? And that's what Fray McCaffrey was. But I think us closer to the situation understood the fan base had checked out. You had the growth of women's basketball during that time.

Starting point is 00:08:19 And Caitlin Clark, that was a component on top of it. It was a decision closer to it that made a whole lot of sense. And though we have the McCaffreys and certainly Connor that still but heard about it and whatever on that front, that's fine. Their dad got fired and they're going to be upset about it. So be it. But the people that have been involved with the program, the people inside the program, and most importantly, the fan base, what they were delivered.

Starting point is 00:08:42 A Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. An elite eight run for the first time since 1987. It's what we've all hoped for for so long. And going out there and getting the guy that she wanted. Going out and getting Ben McCullough. When there was a big portion of the fan base that was all about Darren DeVries, that it was DeVries and he's an Iowa guy, we got to go that direction, maybe had a touch more success

Starting point is 00:09:06 and a longer period of success at the Division I level. Go back and forth. make your arguments whatever way it was but in the end she got the right guy a guy that completely understands iwa basketball a guy that wants to get here and do things his way and do it a kid that grew up a hawkeye fan that is a big time win i guess the one lingering thing that is out there for beth gets not just kirk ferrance and when he decides to walk away and what that's going to look like be it an internal candidate a nationwide search that is going to be a huge one and we go back to the part of the front of the conversation.

Starting point is 00:09:43 You have to keep football at the front of your mind for your athletic department, and that hire is going to be a huge one for Iowa athletics. But that aside, and also, what's next for Iowa wrestling? A proud program sells out the building, but Penn State has turned into an absolute behemoth. And what we see from the Nittany Lions year in year out and the power structure now in college wrestling. Doesn't make sense to invest in college wrestling?

Starting point is 00:10:09 It doesn't make sense to use funds that can be geared to football or basketball and do it for wrestling. At this point, it doesn't look like Penn State is slowing down anytime soon. So you can go a direction, keep Tom, Terry Brands around. And that's the decision that was made once again this year, even as the frustration continues to build with Iowa wrestling fans of wanting to get back to that national championship level. I don't know if it's attainable. and the part that makes that conversation more difficult is there's not an easy answer. There's not an answer that you can point to and say, well, of course, absolutely.

Starting point is 00:10:46 Do this. This is going to make sense. Not the case on this one. That is the latest. Beth gets contract extension through 2032, and this is good news for the athletic department. We continue here, Lockdown Hawkeyes. An announcement, we got some non-conference basketball on the slate. We'll take a look at the schedule and how Ben McCollum put the...

Starting point is 00:11:06 this one together, plus some player interviews, along with coaches from Iowa Football Media Day. That's all coming up here on your daily Iowa Hawkeye podcast. Locked-on Hawkeyes. Stay right there. We're back with more in a moment. Before the season even kicks off, everyone's making predictions. Who wins the division? Who makes the playoffs? Who's lifting the trophy at season's end? On Cal She, America's number one prediction market platform, you can trade these predictions in a live market. Will the Vikings qualify for the playoffs this season? I like this Vikings team coming into the year, even not being a big Kyler Murray fan.

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Starting point is 00:13:00 If you're watching us on YouTube, make sure you hit that subscribe button. Try to push those numbers up before we get to football season. If you're on the podcast side, five-star reviews, all that helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. As we continue, let's take a look at the Iowa basketball team coming up this year as our non-conference slate has been announced. As we've talked about during the summer, we knew most of the pieces of this schedule of what it was going to look like for Iowa, the games that have been announced, the neutral court games that were there. Of course, they get Iowa State coming in to Kinnick Stadium, to Kinnick Stadium, to Carver Hockey Arena in December. That will be the game that is in place year after year. They got that one there.

Starting point is 00:13:38 Overall, a pretty good job of this one. So I took a peek over at Bart Torvik. This is an analytical website. If you're an everyday or you definitely know, I bring up Bart Torvik a lot during basketball season. And I put together a rundown of where his preseason projections have all these teams ranked throughout the course of the season. So as we start things up, the home opener will be against Lipscomb. They are ranked 260th in the country.

Starting point is 00:14:04 Eastern Illinois game number two, they are number 333. And then it is going to be a big three. three game series coming up. Starts with Virginia Tech. That game will be played over in Sioux City. I was a little bit surprised. Virginia Tech, at least the predictions, the anticipation, the analytics say, they're going to be a pretty good team this year.

Starting point is 00:14:23 Number 36 in the rankings over at Torvik. Again, that game will be played in Sioux City. And as I've mentioned before, my wife, she's from Sioux City. I know the people up there incredibly excited to get not just a men's basketball game, but also a women's basketball game up there at Tyson Events Center. They played a couple of games in the past in Sioux Falls. It's going to be really cool. And I think the environment is going to be great for that one.

Starting point is 00:14:46 November 15th, that'll be a matchup against Creighton. That'll be right here in my hometown now of Des Moines. That will be played at the KC Center on November 15th. Creighton sits at number 41 in the rankings. Then a road trip and the only true road game that Iowa will play during their non-conference slate. That is a trip to Cincinnati to take on Xavier, saw them a year ago, make their way to Carver, and that will be a game played on November 20th. Then a couple of by games, UNBC, decent out of the American East.

Starting point is 00:15:15 They're at 259, Prairie View, A&M after that. Before they play Iowa State, there likely will be two of those Big Ten games that they've kind of squeezed in there in early December. That is the likelihood that we're going to see on that front. No announcement yet from the Big Ten with the official Big Ten basketball schedule what it's going to look like in terms of when the games are going to play. We know that the three opponents at Iowa,

Starting point is 00:15:38 will play the home and homes coming up this season. We do have that component so far at this point, but not know exactly when those games are going to be played. Iowa will face off against Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Ohio State. Those are their double plays coming up this season. Then after those two games, it'll be back to the non-conference slate, Iowa State on December 10th, and then wrap up with Western Illinois on the 13th, December 17th against Bethune Cookman. Here is a surprise, Bethune Cookman, right number 190, higher than I would have thought. in that one. Then the final big non-conference game that they will have December 21st back in Des Moines,

Starting point is 00:16:15 as they'll take on Alabama, their preseason number 21. And then they'll wrap things up on the 29th, ninth against the coyotes. South Dakota will come to town at Carver number 285. Now, I know there's plenty of angst out there, frustration from the season ticket holders about the way that this looks, and you have all these great games, but outside of the Iowa State game, they're not going to be in Carver. Remember you're also going to get 10 conference games that'll be inside of Carver Hawkeye Arena. That goes a long way. I understand it, but this is the reality. And this year for Ryan in an exempt tournament, they're not going to Maui, they're not going to the Bahamas.

Starting point is 00:16:50 That's not going to be the case. This is the way to build your resume. Ben McCollum, he understands the numbers, what it takes with the net rankings, and putting his team in the best position possible to be an NCAA tournament team. And with it, advance up that seed list and get a little bit of the number. higher. We mentioned yesterday, Iowa number eight seed in the latest update of bracketology from on three. Joe Lenardi has them as a 10 seed. This is what you have to do. And you also look at those by games, a thing that we have learned throughout the years, not just winning those games

Starting point is 00:17:23 against the tomato cans in front of you, going out and dominating them. Because, yes, the margin of victory in the metrics, the net rankings out there, it is capped at 10 points. A 20 point victory is the same as a 10-point victory in that part of it. What is not capped, though, is the analytical numbers. And those offensive and defensive efficiency numbers, those are not caps. So you go out there and you dominate, it's going to go a long way. And I was done a good job of that, going back to Fran McCaffrey, outside of one game against Eastern Illinois, of really dominating in these matchups.

Starting point is 00:17:56 So overall, good schedule, love the flavor, love the opportunity for people in other areas of the state, while also feeling bad about the season ticket holders. Let's talk Little Iowa football. Let's hear from the players and the coaches when we come back. Wide receiver coach John Budmeier, pressure is on to deliver this year. We'll hear from a couple of the wide receivers as well. Evan James and Tony Diaz coming in from the transfer portal along with Brevin Doll.

Starting point is 00:18:20 Our interviews with the players and coaches continues. Stay right there on your daily Iowa Hawkeye podcast. It is Locked on Hawkeyes. Trentana back with you one final time. Locked on Hawkeyes. Thanks for being with us. Let's hear first from the wider. receiver coach John Budmeyer.

Starting point is 00:18:44 Tony's doing a great job. Tony came in and early in January, February, certainly saw kind of what he was capable of. And the thing I appreciate about Tony is he came in and he was himself. You know, didn't try to be anything unique or special. He just to let who he was and let people take notice to that. And so he did a great job coming in and blending in with the group. And then certainly once we got into spring ball, saw the ability that he has.

Starting point is 00:19:09 And he's got a lot of talent. He's got top end speed, his ability to get in and out of breaks at the top of the route, and his ball skills are phenomenal. I mean, he made a couple of catches in the spring that you had to watch a few times just to see how he could do that. And so I've appreciated where he's been. He had a great summer. Our emphasis for him was really making strides in the weight room

Starting point is 00:19:28 because he needed to put on some weight to be able to make it through a season, especially playing in the Big Ten. And he responded to that challenge and through the first eight practices, really pleased with where he's been. What about Evan James Frye in that same category? as far as needing to put on some weight. We kind of withstand the fiscality of the Big Ten. But where's he kind of sitting at right now?

Starting point is 00:19:46 Evan's done a great job as well. Again, another guy that came in in January, blended right in with a group, soft-spoken guy, but hard-working. Reminds me a lot of Jacob Gill and his demeanor, which you appreciate because he just goes hard every single day. And he's got great short area of quickness. And he was a guy, too, in the same line as Tony,

Starting point is 00:20:03 where we had to put some weight on him. And he put on 12, 13 pounds, you know, over that stretch, you know, since he's been here. And he can feel it. You know, it's good weight. He's a guy that we're certainly going to count on this fall and pleased with where he's been through eight practices. Coach, what about getting Bowie back out there after last year,

Starting point is 00:20:20 kind of a lost season? I think a lot of people wondered if he was going to be around, but he is, and no elite athleticism, best vertical on the team. What that's kind of translated as he's back healthy? Bowie I'm really proud of because Bowie went through a tough stretch over the last 18 months, you know, dealing with injuries, finding his way, and he's responded so well. You know, we got to a point in December where we sat down

Starting point is 00:20:41 and had a conversation when we come back in January, what do we want this to look like? And he had a vision for what he wanted it to be. And he did a great job. You know, he's a top 10 guy in our Hawkeye Championship competitions. He shows up. He's playing fast, which is really, really good for us. And he's shown that, as he can stay consistently healthy, now he's available. And the more he's available, the better he gets.

Starting point is 00:21:03 And certainly a guy that I think can help us this fall as long as we can keep him healthy and keep him trending upward and keep him developing him. How means the timing, et cetera, the passing game? We know how important that is in the shooting. Are you seeing what you want to see in terms of, like, can the passing game take a really big stuff? Yeah, you're seeing it start to click. And what I explain to the receivers is it's so important when,

Starting point is 00:21:26 in the passing game, that you give consistent pictures. And so for a quarterback, right, if all of a sudden my depth is a cycle short on one route and then the next time it's not, well, in his mind, he was thinking he was a little late, himself up, but now he's a little late, right? Or a little early. And so all those things are important because you want to provide consistent pictures. And the more

Starting point is 00:21:47 that we can do that, the more consistently we can be at the right depths, right? Every guy is going to be a little bit different at the top of the route and how he wins. But giving them the understanding of all right, this is how Tony's going to come out of the top of his route. This is how Reese is going to be at the top of his route. This is how DJ is going to be. Right? And so

Starting point is 00:22:03 providing those consistent pictures, it really helps support back. Because then all of a sudden now, within the concepts, they know the timing of it. And once the quarterback gets timing down, then the passing game gets clicking. And it's our job to make sure that we're getting our depths, we're developing our route, we're great at the top of the route,

Starting point is 00:22:21 and then finishing and executing when that ball does come our way. So I think guys are understanding it, and they're continuing to improve, and we just got to keep holding in on it so that we can be consistent every time. Where are they as far as consistency and technique? Are they where you want them to be? Obviously, you can always improve. But are they to where, hey,

Starting point is 00:22:38 We can go out on a game tomorrow and feel pretty good about where we're going. I'm really pleased with the work that they're putting in. And I think every guy, for a lot of guys, they're so comfortable. You take a guy like Tony and Evan, you know, where they came from. They're really comfortable just working a speed release and going. Because a lot of times they're faster and the defender, they're going. Our defensive backs, they challenge you, right? We'll get some mere techniques.

Starting point is 00:23:01 You know, we've got a couple guys that have some length to them. And if they get their hands on you, you're in trouble. Right? And so being able to have more tools in the toolbox, that's been the challenge throughout spring ball and into fall camp. And I'm really proud of seeing them working it. And what's fun is when they work it and they work a new release, a slow two to quick to a job release, when they work it and they have success with it, then they look at it and they're like, okay, that's what it should be like. And then it's a matter of doing it over and over and over again. You think of a guy like Reese Vandersey, you know, Reese, I always point to his freshman year at Ohio State. You know, like he got buoyed around there and Reese knows it. And it was an emphasis for him understanding, okay, I got to be able to move defenders. I got to be able to move their feet so that I can get on edges, not only get on edges,

Starting point is 00:23:47 but leave the quarterback space to be able to throw the ball so that a big guy like Reese and Dayton so that they can go elevate and they're not running the ticks and running out of bounds, right? And that's why we put an emphasis when we got vertical pass and you're holding that road line. And you've got to leave that quarterback room so that once you establish an edge, now they can show you open in which way. And so I've been real pleased with the work that they put in and it's starting to show up on tape. And now it's a matter of getting it consistent each time

Starting point is 00:24:13 so that they're not thinking about it. Like they know the route to run. And now I got inside leverage. This is what I'm doing. I got outside leverage. I got outside, mirror inside. I got bail. All those different things.

Starting point is 00:24:23 That's when you've got to be processing as a receiver so that you can play fast in the ball snaps. John Budmeyer there, the Iowa wide receiver coach and a lot of good information from him. Let's hear from one of those wide receivers out of the transfer portal. Tony Diaz talking about opportunity to play in front of the fans last week at Kids Day and on top of it, how he handled his first Iowa winner. A good, a good point.

Starting point is 00:24:46 Stay at Halsey. Yes, sir. Yeah, for sure. Are you excited to get in front of the fans? I mean, they're really clamoring to see it. No, no, I've heard this. I've heard of a lot. But, yeah, I mean, I'm excited.

Starting point is 00:24:57 I'm just excited to go out there with my team. I mean, really, just get to play with them. And hopefully, and I'm like, I'll fill it more, but to go out there and play game more, I mean, we've just been practicing against each other, but I'm ready to do all the bit together and go to somebody else. So I'm ready to go out there on my team and they'll compete. It's going to be fun. It'll be a final season.

Starting point is 00:25:18 It'll be a final season. Just transferring in, how has this process just been for you? It's definitely been different. I mean, from FCS to B-10, you can tell, there's not too much it would be different, but I mean, there's little things. So it's good, it's alright. It's been true. You got a new playbook.

Starting point is 00:25:40 That's always hard for the Cesar's to learn that. But I'm getting at hold of that. And kind of just adapting into like the Iowa culture. So, yeah, I think I'm doing a good job with that. Yeah, how has it been just getting to know everybody? Are the wide receivers are you guys pretty close? No, yeah. That's all my guys.

Starting point is 00:26:02 We got a good strong room, plenty of rooms. We joke a lot, but whenever it's time to be serious, we're serious. So we got good players in there. So, I mean, we can put anybody out on the field. We're all going to make players. So that's a good thing. When you heard Coach Farrants mention you with a couple of Hawkeye greats over at Media Day, what did that mean to you?

Starting point is 00:26:22 Just hearing that from a head coach that's been here for 28 years? I really didn't know the guys until I had asked somebody, and they had told me about it. And I was like, oh, I mean, that's, I appreciate him for the props. But, I mean, I got to go prove it now. So that's what I'm going to do. How was your first Iowa winner? Ooh.

Starting point is 00:26:43 When I first moved out here, I think it was like, I think we were almost in a negative. Uh-huh. And I was like, what did I just get into? But, no, it's been, it's been good now. I mean, I'm probably going to be good when the next winter comes. I'll cut that one. So I'll be prepared next time. What's been the most difficult?

Starting point is 00:27:02 difficult part of learning this new offense. Shanahan, I know there's a lot on the plate, a lot to learn for wide receivers. What's been the most difficult part? I'm really just because back in at each other's a B, we just had signals, so we just all lined up and he'll give us a signal. Now it's like we got to hear the long sentence that they have. But I've been doing pretty well with it. I've been getting used to it. So I'm glad with that because it helps with my preaching that plan, and it doesn't have my mind, like, twisting and turn in when I'm on the line. I can actually look at the coverage and how I'm going to do this.

Starting point is 00:27:48 So the more I learned, the better it is for me. That's Tony Diaz, the incoming wide receiver out of the transfer portal. Another portal wide receiver as well. Here is Evan James. Doing well. One of the things talked about a couple of times by Coach Bud, Coach Lester, had a little weight. How that's gone and just how different kind of strength and conditioning here is at Iowa.

Starting point is 00:28:10 Yeah, I mean, I feel like I definitely gained a lot of weight being here. I came in super light. You know, being in a big time program, I definitely got out of gain some weight, and I think I did that pretty well. What are your thoughts on the Shanahan offense, learning this offense and just all the different things as a wide receiver, the different routes from different areas you have to do how different it is and just learning this new offense?

Starting point is 00:28:32 I say it's different because obviously it's a new playbook. for me, but as long as you put the time and effort in to learn the playbook, it's not too hard. You just got to put the effort in to learn the coaching points and just take coaching. What led you to Iowa? Tell me about going back to that. I had a very good first year, I think, and I went in the portal and then came on a visit here and I love the coaches. I love the coaching staff. I love the community here, and it's just amazing. I love it ever since I've been here. What was the vision and coaching stuff kind of told you about might be your role?

Starting point is 00:29:11 Coming in, Coach Lester and Coach Bud, they kind of show me what they want to do with the offense, and they just wanted me to be a versatile guy and being able to make plays wherever they put me. So it's kind of what I came here to do. What was the biggest change for you just coming into the system? I would say learning the offense because it's a new playbook and coming from a different school, You've got to learn to playbook, got to get in it. It's obviously a new program, so, you know, just adjusting to a new environment. Which spot are you playing, or multiple?

Starting point is 00:29:46 Coach, she kind of moving me everywhere just to see where I'm best at, like, slide outside, just moving everybody around to see where they're good at. What are the differences you see between Hank and Jeremy when they're out there and kind of the games that they're playing as you guys are going through and trying to figure out who that QB1 is going to be? Honestly, I think either one of them, every time. they get out. They make a play, make a great throw, and it's up to us to go make the play. Evan, was there, when you were going to the recruiting process out of Furman, how appealing

Starting point is 00:30:17 was playing for Coach Lester, given the fact that he's produced some really elite talent to the NFL, and there are guys that aren't the biggest, like Duane Eskridge, for example, Sky Moore. Do you look at that when you were going through the portal recruiting process? Yeah, I definitely look at that because, you know, he got people in the NFL, and I, That's a great look. And I kind of wanted to come in this offense to build me as a player, as everything, anything they need me to be. And finally, one more. This is Brevindal, an opportunity for Brevindal, maybe to take a step forward in special teams.

Starting point is 00:30:52 Saw him on Saturday. He was one of the gunners out there on the punt return, on the punt team, excuse me. But also looking at him as potentially a guy that can be returning kick. Some great speed. here's Brevendahl. All right, Brev, big questions about health. That's been kind of the biggest concern here these first couple of years. Just where you are health-wise and how you feel as you're back out there on the practice field.

Starting point is 00:31:15 I feel great. Health is a little bench. It's a lot of bend. So we can hit this year. You're kind of knowing, I think, inside of Hawkeye fan circles is a track guy, right? You got that great track speed. But you've added to your frame size-wise. kind of where you're at, and do you look at yourself as that as a speed guy, or do you look at

Starting point is 00:31:39 yourself as more of a complete kind of running back? I think speed is one of my defining factors with the track. Track times, I think that's what people think about, but I think that I have other traits that I can contribute. So at the end of the day, it's whatever the coaches need, whatever they want, whatever they want out there that I work on every scale, and that's my favorite word. Deep running back room. Coach Ferrence talked about that during his press conference today.

Starting point is 00:32:08 A lot of guys, a lot of veterans there, but there's other roles. He played special teams last year. Any opportunities at kick return? Have you been back there practicing that yet? Yeah, there's a couple of guys that worked out on the jugs pre-practice. So I'm in that group. It's cool to have a bunch of guys back there that, a bunch of ability. But, yeah, that's been the opportunity.

Starting point is 00:32:32 Yeah, it's just great having guys around to. to sharpen the sword. So with that, do you guys go live very often for kick return? I know injuries are always a big concern with that. So how often do you guys go live with like true kick return in practice? It's a lot of the hood. So get your fitting, get the technique, and show that you're there, you would make a tackle.

Starting point is 00:32:55 But the coaches are really smart about, you know, all the in it comes to that stuff, and preventing injuries in practice. So we're all ready to go on. That's Brebendahl, the Iowa running back and potentially guys we're going to see out there a bunch on special teams coming up this year. Some great stuff there. Hope that information helped provide you with a little closer glimpse of these guys and the guys that we're going to be watching coming up on Saturdays this fall. We'll have some defensive guys coming up on tomorrow's show for you as well.

Starting point is 00:33:25 We'll also be joined by Tom Kaker from hawkeye report.com as we'll get the latest on the Hawks from him. Out of time for today. Thanks for being with us and making lockdown Hawke. your first listen every day. We are your daily Iowa Hawkeye podcast. Thanks for being with us. We'll talk to again tomorrow. Until then, go Hawks.

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