Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - IMPOSSIBLE? Iowa Football Faces BRUTAL Big Ten Gauntlet—Will Hawkeyes SURVIVE This Start?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Iowa football already had the most difficult slate to open up the Big Ten this season, and it got a whole lot more difficult. A short week against Washington, we break it down, Locked-on Hawkeyes. 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 Cotton, and this is the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes, your first. listen every day on your daily Iowa Hawkeye podcast.

Starting point is 00:00:38 We're going to hear from earlier this week, an opportunity to chat with Ben McCullum, the head basketball coach for the Hawkeyes and Jan Jensen. On the women's side of things over at the Polk County Eye Club, we'll bring those interviews to you a little bit later on in the show today. Speaking of Ben McCollum, he has been handed a contract extension. We'll talk about that and what that means going forward for Iowa basketball.

Starting point is 00:00:58 Certainly good news and something that has put a smile on Hawkeye fans faces, a new contract, a six-year deal to keep Ben McCullum, hopefully in Iowa City for the duration of that one. But we begin today with a little football talk as Iowa football is in the headlines. Fox has announced their Friday night dates throughout the course of the college football season and with it, the date for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa once again will be on the road this season for a Friday night affair. Now, of course, we know year after year the tradition that has been built, Iowa playing Nebraska

Starting point is 00:01:30 on Black Friday. And hopefully for the foreseeable future, that is something that is going to continue. There has been murmurs. There's been rumblings that potentially down the line. Maybe that is something that can change. But it's obviously been incredibly good for Iowa. And we've definitely seen that throughout the past and just the successes

Starting point is 00:01:47 that the Hawkeyes have had against the Huskers on the football field. And the way the Kirk Farrants has this program humming along in the short weeks have not been nearly as impactful. But this one, this is going to be much different. So I was going to be going on the road now on a short week against Washington. And it is a road trip, the longest road trip of the season. And it's not even particularly close. The road games this season on the road at Michigan.

Starting point is 00:02:13 They go to Minnesota, Northwestern, and Illinois during the course of the regular season. So far away, this is the longest trip that they're going to have. And when we go back a couple months ago when the Big Ten schedule came out, you're not going to find anybody that opens as difficult with your first three games of the year. the first third of your Big Ten slate of what I was going to face this season. Two road games, including going to Michigan, a preseason top 20 team. Now they have an adult in the room taking over with Kyle Whittingham for that joke that was there beforehand. Then you couple of it, you come back home.

Starting point is 00:02:48 That's great. You get a home game against maybe the most talented team in the country in Ohio State. There returns Julian San at the quarterback position returns Jeremiah Smith, the best wide receiver in the game, spend his first two years already on campus and a whole lot more for the Buckeyes. But then on top of it, you had to take this road trip. We know this was the way the schedule played out. And it becomes now even more difficult as they will have a short week on Friday night going to Washington. Long road trip.

Starting point is 00:03:16 Then you throw in the fact that Iowa historically has struggled mightily on the West Coast. So you know the blown lead that they had a year ago against USC in a game that at the half felt like they should be up a whole lot more. They weren't, weren't able to put the game. way like they could have of the first half and let that one slip away in the slop and the muck that was out there at the Coliseum. What happened? Speaking of Friday night games against UCLA a couple of years ago, Iowa was the superior

Starting point is 00:03:42 football team certainly throughout the course of the season, but on that Friday night, that was not the case. And Brendan Sullivan went Kamikaze got knocked out of the game. And ultimately Iowa lost to a team that even on the road, they definitely should not have lost to in UCLA. And that's not alone. year after year the road trips to Arizona and Arizona State. It has been a house of horrors, Iowa traveling west throughout the years and going out to the

Starting point is 00:04:06 west coast. So you have that component on top of it. By me, anybody that has it more difficult. And I don't know if Kirk Farris did something to upset somebody in the Big Ten offices to not only be handed this schedule, which is incredibly daunting, but then also to have the way that it played out. So speaking of that, how difficult is this schedule? How difficult is this slate going to be coming up this season for Iowa football?

Starting point is 00:04:30 Well, we have some numbers to put behind it. Now, this is from a professional handicapper, a guy that does his work on that realm. But I think it lends a very good insight into what we expect to see for Iowa this year. His name is Josh Nunn. And he works for the Action Network. He does a college football podcast over there. He has been very good, very sharp throughout the years. And he put together, as he does with all the season.

Starting point is 00:04:55 long analytics the way that he derives at his numbers. But what it spits out, most importantly for us, is those numbers and what the projected point spreads would be throughout the course of the season. And it shows you how difficult this slate is going to be the three gamer at Michigan, home for Ohio State, at Washington. Iowa opens up the year projected from his numbers a 30 plus point favorite against Northern Illinois. After that, how about this?

Starting point is 00:05:20 Iowa State. And who knows about the cyclones with the upheaval that they had as an article, 81 new players on the Iowa State football roster, not many holdovers from the previous regime as Matt Campbell went out to Penn State, is you now have an Iowa State team that really nobody has a clue. And even talking to the beat guys as they do on my radio show on KX&O in the Iowa Sports Radio Network, they said the same thing. You just don't have a great feel because it's so many new faces

Starting point is 00:05:47 and unlike what we've seen in the past, what we're accustomed to. Yeah, coaching, turn over those kind of things. but in this new environment of the portal and completely changes the perspective. Well, Iowa in his numbers, Josh Nunn's numbers, is favored at home by 11.5 against the cyclones. And I'll tell you one thing, I'm getting 11 and a half when those games of the year come out of Fandual as they will. And we already got a few of those games up there. No Iowa games at this point.

Starting point is 00:06:12 I probably grab the points. Just we've seen too many close games in the series. We've seen too many times where Iowa State has been able to hang around and even do it early in some regimes. But that aside, 11 and a half. is his projected number on that one. Against you and I, Iowa, a projected 38.5 point favorite in that one.

Starting point is 00:06:30 But here's where it gets and where we go back to in our conversation. At Michigan, Iowa, a 9.5 point underdog. You come back home for the Buckeyes. How big of a dog can you be a Kiddick Stadium against Ohio State? According his numbers, a 19 point underdog, 19.2 points to be exact. Then after that, here's that road trip. Now, these analytics came out before, I don't know if this is worth a half point or anything like that with the short week and the team traveling.

Starting point is 00:06:57 But that aside, he has Washington favored by eight points against the Hawkins. After that, I was favored in every game except for one. If you can find a way during that three game stretch, though, to just pull an upset anywhere. And I maintain, though, the point spread is a little bit different. I think the Michigan game might be more attainable to pull off the victory that it is against Washington and certainly against Ohio State, even in Kinnick Stadium. But then after that, here's how the schedule wraps up. And if you can steal one, win all three of your non-conference games,

Starting point is 00:07:26 you go into the closing stretch, the back half of the season in the final six with a four and two record. This is what you have. On the road after a by week against Minnesota, Iowa projected a one and a half point favorite there against Wisconsin at home, six and a half point favorite in that one. A two point favorite in the new Ryan Field at Northwestern coming up towards the end of the season. Back home for Purdue, I was projected to be.

Starting point is 00:07:51 a 15 and a half point favorite. The one game that they are not favored in is the matchup against Illinois at Illinois in in Champaign, two and a half point underdog there, basically a coin flip game. And then finally at home against Nebraska, Josh has Iowa a five point favorite against the Huskers on Black Friday to finish up the year. What I'm getting to, there's going to be opportunity if you can keep your head above water. I'm not shooting for the moon here. I'm not talking about running the slate against Michigan.

Starting point is 00:08:21 in Ohio State and Washington. But if you can win one, it will be on the table where you finish it off. You run the table after that. Easier said than done. I get that. I tended to, Iowa likely is a college football playoff team. Here's the other part. That is a lot to ask.

Starting point is 00:08:38 This team is as young as they have been, maybe ever under Perk parents with the lack of seniors that they have on this squad. You're breaking in a new quarterback. You're breaking in three new offensive linemen. You're trying to figure out defensively how. the defensive line is going to come back. You only have one and a half sacks returning from a year ago. Defensive tackle has huge question marks.

Starting point is 00:08:58 It is a lot to ask. But schedule-wise, it's attainable if he can steal one of those three. Coming back on the other side, Ben McCullum has signed a contract extension. We're going to hear from him along with the women's coach, Jan Jensen. We'll get their thoughts on a couple of different topics. We will talk about that with them. This was from the Polk County I Club earlier this week. Ben McCullum and Jan Jensen coming up next year on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast.

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Starting point is 00:10:35 Ruggiat, performance medicine for men. Trent Kana back with you once again on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for being with us of making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Let's get into the coaches on the basketball realm, Ben McCollum, first, And then Jay and Jensen. What's that? Kind of, I guess. It's whatever I had in my closet.

Starting point is 00:11:00 Yeah. Like, I'll be in the block of a little. No, we're blinding. It's cold underneath. It's pretty cool. And I went with the Kobe stay in case I started on one of the game. I was ready. I'm ready to tell you.

Starting point is 00:11:10 All right. We got to go quick, guys. Best got to go next. Let's do it. What are you thought? What are you? The eligibility rules. The eligibility doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Starting point is 00:11:21 The spanded doesn't make a lot of sense to me. But I'm sure if somebody smarter than me figured that out, just because I think the less people, the more prestigious it is to make the NCAA tournament. The second part of that is if they do the five-for-five rules, if that passes, as long as they implement it the right way, I think it makes more sense, just to, you know, like all the different things that they take to the NCM to get an exterior, it just becomes overpowering. So if you just knock it out with a fight for five, as long as they implement it the right way,

Starting point is 00:11:59 I think it could be a good thing. What slows you guys on? Yeah, Andrew, we thought he could really pass it. He's a big target, and he thought he could really pass it. Played for a really good coach. We won a lot of games, and obviously he has some serious size and physicality to him. Tyreek, I watched him in high school,

Starting point is 00:12:21 and then just evaluated some of his films. And I think it's one that, you know, has only scratched his shirtless. He's probably a kid that if he stays at Illinois State for a year, he probably has this 18, 20, and you're like, you can't get him at that point because there's somebody stayed after him. So we're hopeful he can be a good addition to us as well. That's what you were going to be looking forward, just knowing that these guys basketballs don't have.

Starting point is 00:12:47 They'll literally kind of have that little bit, they kind of have that development over. We didn't really try to go specific. We just tried to find good players, to be honest. We've tried for multiple other players struck the portal. Porto is tricky because it's speed-dated. You've got to get married and you know them for a day. A lot of times it doesn't work out.

Starting point is 00:13:11 But you will with these kids. Are you at 14 right now in is there? Where do we have, Tyler? 14. We're at Tyler. We have 14 Tyler Selt. says. Yeah, I don't know. It depends on, it would have to be a seriously, like, big-time bar to be able to get it on it. How's a non-conference schedule going? Kind of where are you and

Starting point is 00:13:36 any big dates to announce for anybody? Not yet. We're getting there. It's a work in progress as usual. We're trying to find, you know, Power 5 games, which is always tricky. First, and then we try to build around that with your other bike games. So it's tricky. We feel like we've got a few really good ones. Hopefully we're working on one today, and hopefully it gets some good news that we get that done. It should be a fun one.

Starting point is 00:14:05 And then obviously build around that with your mindings. Yeah. So much more than you have a lot of time. 10 new returners, so many other guys. What does that mean on trend? Yeah, I mean a lot for your culture. We feel like we kept with the other guys. right guys and we feel like they can really take big steps in the right direction and our program's

Starting point is 00:14:26 going to be about development anyway and so you need to make sure that you retain as many as you possibly retain especially in the input stages of the program it's just we're still you know obviously we've made a nice run but we're still in the infinite stages of building a culture and building a program that can sustain itself in the way what was it like working out with Bennett during this pre-draft process oh it's blast it's a blast you know, you got to yell and scream at him some more, which is great. No, it's fun. I always enjoyed coaching Bennett.

Starting point is 00:14:59 Coaching them a little bit different to get them ready for the NBA is fun, and I'm excited to see me. What do you think of this like in the head and James? Where do you can see their roles or where do you come on to see how? Yeah, you know, it all depends on how quickly they can adapt to everything. I think they're both physically there. I think they're going to grow to be really, really good players in the big team. You know, some people are quicker than others, and it just depends on how you come here.

Starting point is 00:15:31 Try not to have so many preconceived notions as to how quickly they can be able to. Just because then it doesn't keep on love with the playing field, but I said James' frequency athletic, elite personnel, lead energy, just a great person, and the same goes for income. just a little bit different skill set, but both of them from the personality and fitness perspective is probably not doing. We're in West of what? Oh, go ahead.

Starting point is 00:16:05 Yeah, I mean, again, it's, it all depends on him, you know, and how much he continues to develop. We thought he felt like he had a great season of development, and hoping that he has a great summer. And, you know, obviously, they're in the fall as well. So, you know, as far as, like, you know, as far as, you know, he had a great season of development. individual players know a lot of it's up for grabs because it's so good when you lose a benefit you know it's just getting out of so you know guys that may have been really good for you may not be as good guys weren't as good maybe they're better may they take big jumps and so it all depends on how he's going to ask you about trep since we're in west of moines so kind of year number two for him

Starting point is 00:16:48 see the offensive skill set definitely there how about how he's coming along on the defensive end Trevor's been great. He's been different in pickup. He's been really good. Shooting it at a high level, passing in a high level trigger offense. Again, he probably could have played throughout the season a little bit more than he did,

Starting point is 00:17:09 and it probably would help him. He got caught behind a couple people, and hopefully next year takes a good job. Thanks, Eric. So that was Ben McCullum from the Poe County Eye Club earlier this week. And interesting, Trevin Yorak in the saying that he has looked different.

Starting point is 00:17:28 That is definitely exciting and more help inside. McKeever comes in out of the portal and what his impact is going to be in there. But Trevin Yorak has a very distinguished skill set. And I think a guy that can definitely help them out on the offensive end of the floor, now improving on the defensive end, something he'll be working on here this offseason.

Starting point is 00:17:44 We go from the men over to the women, Jan Jensen, from earlier this week. It was nice. I took a quick, break through portal combat. It's the shutdown attorney for a minute. We have one week where you can't communicate your records. I mean it might get into social programs. I went down for about four days with my family, but then flew into the point so I could sort of like this last night. Yeah, what's to watch that right now? We're at hope it is. Yeah. Well, we're at nine right now.

Starting point is 00:18:16 And we added a really good, a really good three that we need to have. And with our home with our freshman, I hope to have a couple more habits. Is it proving to be a little bit more difficult, kind of filling in these final roster spots maybe than you thought going in? I don't know if it would be more than I thought. It's just difficult. This year, I think we've done a pretty good job of real vetting. And so the process goes a little bit slower.

Starting point is 00:18:45 But the Corvo is just so unique every year, right? In the sense where, you know, as a Hawk fan, and we think, well, everybody would come and want to have a scholarship. But a lot of people, it's minutes and money, right? They really want to, you know, they're working really hard and they want to play. And now you can transfer as often as you want. It's like free agencies. So those last, you know, additions, right?

Starting point is 00:19:11 You have to find the right people that fit what you need as a player. But then people that can also come and understand that there's a pretty good court. So it is a little bit more challenging. I think when you step away and you're not a biased hot guy, right? You can understand it more because everybody works really hard and you want to play. So it's a little bit harder, but I'm confident that we're going to get the right mixture. What have you seen from this group with the people you're bringing in, but what's turning in that you have? You know, I think, you know, love what I'm seeing.

Starting point is 00:19:47 But I think everybody, you have to be pretty excited at the beginning. We're all going to move in about three and a half weeks, so we're going to get rolled again. I love the energy of our new place that's still on campus. Our spring workouts were great. Their energy is great. We have Eva Hayden and Chit-Chap Wright to build upon Taylor Shremlow's there. Journey Houston and Eva Hayes, a fun freshman. So there's a lot of great core, and then we're adding some really nice portal pieces.

Starting point is 00:20:15 So I love the feel right now, but the proof is always in the place. and how we come together and how quickly. How do you want to talk to call for you? You know, I was really blessed with that. You know, I think that, you know, the portal gives and it taken away, and it's just part of the process. You know, I feel badly when anybody wants to leave, but I also understand that there are different opportunities.

Starting point is 00:20:42 So I really do wish everybody well. I know that sometimes you can, you know, you look at it as a fan and they're like, oh, how that happened, and why? But it's just part of it right now. And I'm just thrilled, you know, with who stayed. And I think if we all just focus on the people that are on the team, that's the heat, right? As coaches, as fan bases.

Starting point is 00:21:02 So I love the neighborhood of them, have decided to stay and was really never a question for them. And they've been kind of the heart and soul, and hopefully they will be taken forward. What's your guys today? What about her skill set of something? that's been in the last year? Yeah, you know, ever since Caitlin really, you know, making the play, when everything breaks

Starting point is 00:21:25 down, Lucy Olson could do that. She was a long-go-wire guard. Danny Carnegie is just kind of a playmaker. She's level vocal. She was one of the top scores in the SEC. I just think we didn't have that last year, so that's going to be a great piece. And I think that she's really going to help her. she's pretty good in the ball screen.

Starting point is 00:21:49 And with Ava Haydha Haydha is pretty good about receiving that drop pass into the ball screen. So I'm pretty excited about that. And then we can put Chit Chat right off the ball. Chit Chat was mainly our only true wall handler on Outhand too. And now I can free up Chichat, Chichat shot 44% of the 3. So if I can get her off the ball and be able to play it up a little bit more. I think we can have a pretty gay school. What's the doubt about Amari Whiting during that recruiting process?

Starting point is 00:22:24 What was what? What's that Amari Whiting? Oh, she just is. I love that kid. Her energy, she can play a one, two, three, a three, two, one. She defends. She's bubbly. People are going to love watching her play.

Starting point is 00:22:38 She plays with a lot of heart and soul and very cheap. We recruited the first time round. mom got the head coaching job at B.Y. She did commit to Oregon, but then her mom got the job. She was a great high school coach. But then she went after mom stepped out, she went to Oklahoma and state. We did that pretty quickly. So, yeah, we can plug them in a lot of places. And she just is a fine, five-five person. You mentioned that you guys are talking about two more? What are the pieces that you're still looking for? You know, we don't have a true, just someone involved. You know, just someone in.

Starting point is 00:23:15 practice that you can just sometimes it just understands a point guard wolf right Danny and Taylor Srimlow and Chichap can handle that but in practice for a whole season you just need a few more bodies in there so I'm hoping maybe a point guard and then a wing of any sort it's hard I know a lot of a lot of people want us to get big we got six four and six five with Leila and Ava and we have McKinnom Militigo coming in about six one six two but those Those positions size that can play the perimeter and play with their back to the basket, they're harder to get with that depth.

Starting point is 00:23:54 They want to play a lot. So it's plugging them the right people. But if we could get a longer guard and a guard, I think. Yeah, you know, the Des Moines High Club. Yeah, you know, the Des Moines High Club is just a lot of heart toll, right? right in the middle of the state. And a lot of these fans jump and make the track to watch football on Saturdays, men's in the police basketball, baseball,

Starting point is 00:24:24 and Matt McHellers having a heck of a year. But just having these fans and be able to come out and visit and hang out for a night. It's fun for us. And hopefully it's smart for all the fans because they're so appreciative, not just for what they give us financial, but their presence in part of their back picnic. in all places. And it seems like the NCAA is to pass some major role changes in the upcoming month.

Starting point is 00:24:51 How do you guys prepare for those eligibility to the tournament, feel able to fit that all? Well, you know, I think there's just so many layers of difference, right? Everything from we're going to expand the tournament to five years to direct share in the NIL. You have to be playing in there, right? And you can't spend too much time in your team here because you can't spend too much time in the tournament. strategic because of passion behind. You just have to work on the formula. You have to work on whatever those adaptations are to prepare you as best you can to handle it successful. So they happen quick and you know half the time you hear wrongly that you don't think it's going to happen and all of a sudden it

Starting point is 00:25:32 happened. So being nimble. We're nimble and honestly we have one of the best directors. That gets, boy, I couldn't imagine just handling all this without really. She's steady. She's positive. And there's really never a huge change where she doesn't handle with a steady hand. And when you're really handling like that, we all are too. Thanks, everybody. There was Jan Jensen from earlier this week at the Polk County I Club.

Starting point is 00:26:03 Coming back on the other side, we'll put a cap on things. Tart, you heard from Ben McCullum. He's got a new contract. We'll talk about it next. Locked on Hawkeyes. Trent, kind of back with you one final time on your daily Iowa Hawkeye podcast. Locked-on Hawkeyes. Make sure you hit subscribe if you're watching us on YouTube,

Starting point is 00:26:24 five-star reviews on the podcast side. All that helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. And if you're an everyday listener, the Everydayer Club is built for you. You can get members-only Discord access and add-free shows. Go to Lockdownhawkeyes. Dot supercast.com. Locked-on hawkeyes.

Starting point is 00:26:41 Dot com. As we put a cap on things here, Ben McCullum with a new six-year deal. And on the surface, great. You're excited. Obviously, after the... the year number one that we just saw, the run to the elite eight, the excitement that seems to be building back for Iowa basketball. That's all well and good. But I'll be completely blunt,

Starting point is 00:27:00 as I usually am with you. This, we don't know. What does the contract buyout look like? That's going to be a huge component to that. And until we know some of the particulars of the agreement, there's not a whole lot there. Yes, an extension's great. And after North Carolina was flirting around and wanted to interview him and he declined that, it certainly gets. you excited and know that he wants to definitely grow his roots and the importance of Iowa basketball for Ben McCollum and getting this thing, not just for year number one, two, and elite eight, but really building it back and building on the brand that it once was and then building upon that even more. Iowa has the right guy. We should be incredibly grateful and excited that we have

Starting point is 00:27:40 the right guy in the chair. There is not a doubt in anybody's mind. I don't believe that Ben McCollum is that guy. And the excitement that continues to build about this program going forward is a great thing. But until we find out what a buyout looks like, we find out what it means, are there considerations for NIL, those types of things. Until that is out there, it's just happy,

Starting point is 00:28:00 but we really don't know what this means. That'll do it for today. Have a great weekend. We will talk to you again over the weekend. A lot going on in the world of the Hawkeyes. Big series for Iowa baseball coming up this weekend as they make their way to Nebraska to take on the Huskers and positioning themselves not only to be in the Big Ten tournament.

Starting point is 00:28:18 Yeah, they make a run. We'll talk about that coming up. on Monday. Tom Caker from Hawkeye Report, he will join us as well on Monday show. Thanks for being with us and making lockdown Hawkeyes, your first listen every day. We'll talk to you again over the weekend. Until then, go Hawks.

Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - IMPOSSIBLE? Iowa Football Faces BRUTAL Big Ten Gauntlet—Will Hawkeyes SURVIVE This Start?

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