Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Football: Are we looking at big growing pains for Tim Lester's Offense? David Eickholt joins

Episode Date: August 15, 2024

Welcome to the latest episode of the Locked On Hawkeyes Podcast, your daily dive into all things Iowa Hawkeyes with your host, Trent Condon. In today’s episode, Trent dives into a critical question:... Could Offensive Coordinator Tim Lester’s first year mirror the struggles we saw with Greg Davis back in 2012? We’ll explore the concerns, discuss potential outcomes, and look for answers.Later, David Eickholt from Hawkeye Insider joins the show to share insights from Saturday’s open practice at Kinnick Stadium, including his take on the quarterback battle between Cade McNamara and Brendan Sullivan. And to wrap things up, Trent shares his thoughts on the Award Watch Lists in College Football and what they mean for the Hawkeyes this season. Don’t miss this packed episode!For your next listen, check out the Locked On College Football podcast! From NIL deals to never ending conference realignment rumors, Spencer McLaughlin gets you ready for an exciting season on the gridiron! Click HERE to listen now. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your Team. Every Day.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.eBay MotorsFrom brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keep your ride-or-die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it’s easy to bring home that big win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers.FanDuelFanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. As playoffs wind down, the sports stop sporting like we want them to. But this summer, FanDuel is hooking up ALL CUSTOMERS with a boost or a bonus, DAILY! That’s right, there’s something for everyone, every day, all summer long! Visit FANDUEL.COM and add a big win to your summer bucket list!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)Follow Trent Condon on X: https://twitter.com/trentcondonLISTEN TO THE PODCAST: APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-hawkeyes-daily-podcast-on-iowa-hawkeyes-football/id1441592240SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0GTyz5ygevcGXdTF6QSoEoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnHawkeyes

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Starting point is 00:00:01 Expectations are big for this Iowa football team, but after what we saw out of the quarterback play on Saturday, are we going back to another year number one? Greg Davis, oh, shades of that one. We'll talk about that. Plus, David Eichel joins us today. Locked on Hawkeye. You are locked on Hawkeyes,
Starting point is 00:00:23 your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey, welcome in. I'm Trent Condon, and this is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every day. We're available wherever you find podcasts. You can also find us on YouTube. While you're there, hit that subscribe button.
Starting point is 00:00:46 Helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. Today's episode is brought to you by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code LOCKDOWNCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Well, reading through some of the comments over the last couple of days here on Lockdown Hawkeyes, your team every day. And one thing jumped out to me.
Starting point is 00:01:08 A one of the commenters on YouTube had mentioned going back to 2012. And that was when Greg Davis took over as the offensive coordinator. And the thought behind it was what we saw out of the passing game and that horizontal scheme that Greg Davis wanted to implement along with what Iowa was working to do trying to run the football in the zone blocking scheme it was a marriage that never worked and I remember sitting watching that first game at Soldier Field against Northern Illinois in his first season I know a lot of people were very excited for something new right something that is going to be a change from what we had seen after Ken O'Keefe, much
Starting point is 00:01:45 maligned offensive coordinator. Now looking back, definitely I think the best offensive coordinator that Kirk Ferentz has had out of the three that have had that role in his 25 seasons going into year number 26. But that aside, Ken O'Keefe, people were just ready for something different. And the hope and the expectation was that it was going to be a step forward, that we were going to see an offense that was going to look different, be different, maybe a little bit more aggressive, and seeing some of the elements that people were hopeful to see out of Iowa football. We did not get that with Greg Davis. And though there was success and he built upon it, it was never great. It was never an improvement from certainly the
Starting point is 00:02:21 high watermarks that we saw in the Ken O'Keefe era. Now, 2002 is definitely the outlier. I get that. I understand that. That was a year unlike any other, really, in the Kirk Behrens era when they're talking about the way that they were built, what they were able to do offensively that season, and just the style and system of football that was being played in the early 2000s compared to where we are today 22 years later.
Starting point is 00:02:44 Ken O'Keefe, ready for a change. Bring in Greg Davis. Well, he was the offensive coordinator at Texas. Won a national championship with the Longhorns. This is going to be great. Longhorn fans would tell you something completely different, and then we saw it. And he saw it, as I mentioned, right away. That first game of the year, it just didn't work.
Starting point is 00:03:04 Trying to marry what they did with the tight end position and the success that they already had with that position, coupled with what Iowa wanted to do in the blocking game. Now, the reason I don't think this is exactly apples to apples, it's close, but it's not exactly apples to apples. There's a couple of different things. The first one is what we've seen already out of the running game. The running game with the healthy offensive line, the stable of running backs that they have. Remember that first season with Greg Davis.
Starting point is 00:03:33 You're looking at a year where you had Mark Wiseman out there. Now, Mark Wiseman had a nice season, averaged 5.1 yards per carry and eight touchdowns that year, but still offensively, Iowa only averaged 3.7 yards per rush and eight touchdowns that year, but still offensively, Iowa only averaged 3.7 yards per rush attempt that season. If Iowa only averages 3.7 yards per attempt this year, this is going to be a disaster. We've heard Tim Lester mention that this offense, the Shanahan offense, is predicated in running the football. Yes, the passing schemes and the routes and everything that goes along with it, that's what gets a lot of the fanfare, but it starts up front.
Starting point is 00:04:06 You have to be able to run the football in order for this to work. And if it is 3.7 yards per carry for the Iowa offense this year, we're looking at an incredibly disappointing season. Also, the running game of what Iowa has work to do. Remember, we saw the schematic shift a year ago from what they were doing in the zone blocking scheme and moving to a more gap system, more hat on hat. We saw a lot more of that throughout the course of last season than we ever had before. We saw some counters. We saw different things coupled with jet sweep motion, a lot more of that. And we anticipate with the motion this
Starting point is 00:04:39 year, we're going to see more of that out of the Iowa offense this season. One of the reasons I don't believe that this is kind of an app comparison, but I understood what the commenter was talking about, and it was that horizontal passing game, right? Getting the ball out quick. And you're left wondering, with the quarterback play, what we saw in the struggles out of Cade McNamara, and to a lesser degree, what we saw out of Brendan Sullivan
Starting point is 00:05:00 with both of those guys is that read and react, getting the ball out quickly, if there's still just too much thinking that has happened. Now, from what we've heard this week, Cade McNamara bounced back at one of his best practices, if not his best practice, in an Iowa football uniform early in the week. Great to hear that bouncing back, and that's what you need. And maybe this is all that he needs is a push and an understanding
Starting point is 00:05:22 that this job's not his. This job is not a foregone conclusion that he is still going to have to put in the work and practice well in order to be the game one starter against Illinois State. I told you before, I believe that Cade McNamara is going to be the starter almost regardless of what we see here over the next couple of weeks of practice. It would be a huge shock as we sit here with some 20, excuse me, 16 days away from the opener that we don't see him trot out there and be the starter in game one. However, there is a push.
Starting point is 00:05:53 Great to hear McNamara's bounce back, practicing better. And this, when you're implementing a new offense, and we saw it in Greg Davis, we saw it to a different degree with Brian Ferentz when he took over as the play color, there's going to be growing pains. And I think it's something I have to remind myself of as well. Yes, we don't want to see the 132nd ranked offense in college football this season. We want to see improvement. Tim Lester talked in his interview a couple weeks back with Chad Leistico of the Des Moines Register
Starting point is 00:06:22 that they want to cut it in half. That's being in the 60s in total offense this season. That's probably not a realistic mark. It really isn't. With the question marks of wide receiver, with the quarterback play that we've seen, getting even to that level, top 80, I think that's something that we can talk about
Starting point is 00:06:38 and being a little bit more realistic about what this offense is. Remember that 2012 season, Iowa went 4-8. In fact, it is their only non-bowl-eligible season in a really long time of Iowa football. I mean, you go back and you look at the history of what they've been able to do year in and year out. That was really the outlier of Iowa football
Starting point is 00:06:58 over the 26 years of Kirk Ferentz. Yes, at the beginning, they were building it up, but you saw those cracks. And certainly in year number two, by the end of the season, they're playing a lot better. Year three, breakthrough, get to the Alamo Bowl. And then 2002, the Big Ten Championship, the run to the Orange Bowl, Heisman Trophy runner-up, awards all over the place. It was absolutely a great, great football season, but that was the building blocks. 2012 was the outlier.
Starting point is 00:07:22 Let's hope this one, the growing pains are not quite as significant as what we saw that season. Iowa averaged only 310 yards of total offense in 2012. James Vandenberg went from a quarterback that the year previous threw 25 touchdowns against seven interceptions, over 3,000 yards, then seven touchdowns, eight interceptions, 5.8 yards per attempt, 2,200 yards passing. Can't afford that with this Iowa football team. The saving grace, this offense is going to be a whole lot better. Excuse me, that defense this year is going to be a whole lot better than that defense was.
Starting point is 00:07:59 They were really young up front. They had a ton of injuries. You look through it, some of the names have played a bunch up front. They had a ton of injuries. You look through it. Some of the names have played a bunch up front. Louis Trinka, Passat, Steve Bigot, young Darian Cooper, Dom Elvis,
Starting point is 00:08:11 not exactly a who's who when you're putting together some of the top defense alignment that have played for the Iowa football program. And that was another piece of some of the struggles that we saw during the course of that season. David, I called, he was an intended Saturday at Kinnick Stadium. We'll get his perspective of what he saw at the open practice.
Starting point is 00:08:29 Our only glimpse for Iowa football until we see them on the field against Illinois State. We'll talk about that. And it's awards season. Hypes continue, including an odd one. We'll do that as we continue. This is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Today's episode of Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. to first pitch. They have killer last-minute deals, all-in prices, views from your seat, and their lowest price guarantee.
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Starting point is 00:09:52 Again, create an account and redeem code LOCKEDONCOllege, L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N-C-O-L-L-E-G-E for $20 off. Download Game Time today. Last minute tickets, Lowest price. Guaranteed. I guess, David, let's start here. Saturday was, what, four days ago, four days behind us. Looking back, was the
Starting point is 00:10:17 quarterback play, I don't want to say as bad, as alarming as it seemed like when it was happening in the here and now? Where are you four days later? Yeah, you know, I'm taking some time to reflect it, and I know Trent and I had a conversation on Monday about this. I mean, I'm still of the belief that from what I know right now, I do think Brendan Sullivan should have the upper hand
Starting point is 00:10:37 as far as a starting quarterback. Do I think it's going to happen? No, I've heard really good things about the way Cade McNamara has practiced the last couple of days, and I think it was sort of the wake up call or response that was needed from him because that quarterback play was just not good. There's really no two ways about it. I didn't think Cade did anything well on Saturday, seven of 21 for 20 yards, including a pick six to Quinn Schulte under a yard per attempt, five of the seven completions were, were checked down passes. But I also don't really try to get too wound up as far as stats go when it comes to these
Starting point is 00:11:12 spring games or these fall practices. I'm more so looking at, okay, what's the scheme? What are some of the new elements they're adding? What players are being utilized? Where, what are they trying to do? So I actually came away more encouraged about the direction of the offense and what they're trying to do because I like the law really good things about it not the offensive line was good I thought the running game showcased a
Starting point is 00:11:34 lot the quarterback play without a doubt has to improve and that's why these next two weeks are so critical and the other part is they have to get the starter right because whoever trots out their week one has to start out their week two, barring an injury, because I think it would just be a very difficult sell to me. If let's say you put out Cain McNamara at week one, he struggles. Okay. Do you really want to put Brendan Sullivan in against Iowa state who right now is looking like a potential dark horse for a college football playoff spot and a potential top three team in the big 12 i think that's a tall task and even though i know sullivan has big 10 starting experience but he's only been on campus since june so i'm certainly alarmed by it but i
Starting point is 00:12:15 also think as a wake-up call to kate in the stance of oh my gosh this starting job is not a lock for me so i think that's also a good thing. You mentioned the running game and that offensive line looking a lot better. You saw a lot out of Caleb Johnson. He was impressive. Kamari Bolton. We continue to hear him. LaShawn Williams gets back.
Starting point is 00:12:35 You know, he got a dependable guy there. It's a deep running back room, but the offensive line a year ago, we know they were banged up. David, do we maybe even miss just how bad things were? We heard the Mason injury, a Mason Richmond injury that he had a year ago,
Starting point is 00:12:48 basically played on a broken leg for the last half of the year. Just how banged up that offensive line is. And if they are healthy this year, how much upside do you see on this year's offensive line? Trent, I got to tell you, I think four of Iowa's top six linemen last year were playing through injuries or were injured. I mean, it was just not good. I think Mason Richmond to play through what he did with a fractured leg, it's unbelievable.
Starting point is 00:13:13 And keep in mind, the week he got hurt in practice is when they decided to throw him the ball on that trick play. That would have worked had he been able to haul it down. So you have a lineman, not just a lineman trying to go catch a ball on a route. It's a lineman with a fractured leg. Hell to play, Cole Bryan. I don't know if the sum of Iowa's offense is any better than that, right? I didn't know that.
Starting point is 00:13:40 They were so injured last year. I think over the last five or six years, we've seen great line man come through. We've seen Tyler Linderbaum and Tristan Wirbs. We've seen a light Jackson. We've seen all these other guys. I think this is a year where I don't know if there's necessarily a standout. I think Logan Jones has potential to be. I think even Mason Richmond being healthy as a chance.
Starting point is 00:14:01 I think you're going to see one of those old-fashioned, good Iowa offensive lines. Not one or two stars, but you just have that high floor, that nice consistency. And I think Iowa right now, from what I'm being told, they are probably about as healthy as you can get. We know offensive linemen and defensive linemen can tend to get a little bit banged up over the course of the season, and this is a very critical time for them. But there really is no excuses for these guys. They have a ton of experience, but yeah,
Starting point is 00:14:30 I really do think that this could be a good Iowa offensive line. Huge, huge news. Defensive line wise concern there. I mean, we think why a black is a star. Deontay Craig, we saw out of him two years ago, sophomore year thought that boy the sky's the limit here Graves got it we keep waiting for this step is there concern on the defense in the trenches on the defensive side of the ball because certainly the back end is stout and like you know
Starting point is 00:14:56 I think that's that's kind of my big question mark right now and I think that's a lot of people's question marks because right now if you look at the linebackers, there's no, nobody's concerned about the linebacker. Right. Very few people are concerned about the cornerback and the safeties, the defensive line. I like the consistency across the board, but my big question is who's going to step up and be the face who's going to step up and be the star. Because when we've seen great or good Iowa offensive lines, we've seen what Davion Nixon, we've seen AJ Epinesa.
Starting point is 00:15:24 We've seen even Chauncey Golston, who I think was a little bit overlooked throughout the course of his career just because of what he did. Anthony Nelson. Is it going to be Ethan Urquhart, who had a really good year last year and a number of standout plays?
Starting point is 00:15:38 Is it going to be Deontay Craig? I'm very high on Deontay Craig. I think he's got that sort of capability. I think Aaron Graves, I think this could be his last year in a Hawkeye uniform because I think his NFL upside with, with a big year. I mean,
Starting point is 00:15:49 the guy already has a bachelor's degree. I don't know if he wants to come back to get his master's degree at this point with them. I think my big concern right now is who's going to be that fourth defensive tackle. Who's going to be that third or fourth option. I loved what I saw of Jeremiah Pittman. And if you talk about an absolute unit, that guy is an absolute unit. But who's going to step up? Who's going to
Starting point is 00:16:10 be the go-to pass rusher? And who's going to step up in that third or fourth defensive tackle slot? But as far as the starting four or five, six guys, I'm feeling pretty decent, Bob, but who can take that next step? They have depth at the cornerback position, and that's something that's very exciting. Injuries have happened the last couple of years at that spot. John Nestor was listed as one of the starters. Deshaun Lee, though, was out there when the starters went on Saturday. You know what you have in Jabari Harris, but between Nestor, Deshaun Lee, and TJ Hall, those are three guys that I think can all be impactful. If you had to take a guess, who gets to start game number one opposite Jamari Harris?
Starting point is 00:16:46 I really did like what I saw. Deshaun Lee. We know TJ Hall went down a little bit earlier in that practice, but he was jogging on the sideline. He seemed to be in good spirits. Nobody was concerned about him. I'm going to go with Jon Nestor. I really liked what I saw of Jon Nestor. He should have came down with the interception opportunity he had on Saturday, but I'll share this with you. I was walking off the field after interviewing Kirk parents. I heard a voice say, well, what'd you think? What'd you think? I wasn't thinking too much of it. I turned around. It was a one-shouldered Phil Parker. I was talking to me. So I talked to Phil Parker a little bit. He was asking about some of the cornerbacks and I asked him about John Nestor and he just said,
Starting point is 00:17:23 you know what? I really like why I see out of him. I still want him to know when it's okay to take risks and we need to pull it back. But he mentioned he loved the risk he took to try to get the interception. He needs to continue to be a little bit more physical at the line of scrimmage, but Phil Parker's a huge John Nestor guy. So I'm going to give John Nestor the slight edge right now, but I will say we saw glimpses of Deshaun Lee last year. and I really liked what I saw out of him as well. Don't want to count out TJ Hall, but I'm very curious what the string is going to be like, how tight the leash is going to be when the season kicks off. Have you had a chance to talk to Drew Stevens at all,
Starting point is 00:17:59 David? I'm curious because obviously you go back to last year and it didn't end well. Nobody saw that coming, just kind of dropped off a cliff. But then this year, he's back to being Drew Stevens, a guy you can count on. What happened last year? And have you guys had a chance to talk to him at all about that? Yeah, we got a chance to talk to him a little bit. We've talked to LeVar Woods about it as well. Drew Stevens, I thought, also started out a little bit rough during the open practice,
Starting point is 00:18:24 missed his opening kick, but I don't think he missed another kick the rest of the day, including one from 47, just went to the opposite hash mark, did a nice job. Talking to LaVar and kind of reading in between the lines, I think Drew made a lot of big kicks his first year, had a couple of big kicks last year before he struggled. I really think that he just got in his own head a little bit too much. I think, you know, maybe, maybe he got a little bit, a little bit, a little bit of an ego just being, you know, so prominent so quickly. But Drew Stevens is a guy that I think has really grown up over the past year. LeVar Woods said the same thing about him.
Starting point is 00:18:58 And he's the guy who's very in tune with his routine because with Drew Stevens, it's not a question of like strength. It's not a question of will. It's not a question of having ice in his veins because we've seen it. I think right now, it's just all between the ears. Can he go out there with that confidence? Can he kind of continue to block out all the outside noise? Because Keith Duncan might not have had the biggest leg in the world at all, but his mentality and his approach is what completely separate him from the rest of the nation, including Rodrigo Blankenship, because we all know Drew Stevens should have won the kicker of the year, the Luke Groza award that year, but he's still tight with
Starting point is 00:19:35 Drew Stevens. I mean, he's still tight with Keith Duncan. I think Drew Stevens is going to come out. I think he's got a big, big kind of comeback here. David, you are not alone. A lot of people had big expectations for this Iowa football team. I think both Ken and myself included in that mix. It's one open practice. You're still hearing and getting other reports about the way things have gone, certainly afterwards and even before then. Has your equation, your thought process on this team changed at all after getting a glimpse on Saturday and what you've been hearing during August camp? Yeah, and again, you're right.
Starting point is 00:20:05 You don't want to read too much into one practice, but again, the way I've kind of seen it, it's a brand new offense. It's exciting. They're trying to trick the eyes of the defense and people need to keep this in mind. Yes. Their quarterback struggles need to raise an eyebrow, but guys, this is arguably the best defense in the nation. This is the best defense in the nation. And the defense has been going against them day after day. They know what they're in the nation. And the defense has been going against them day after day. They know what they're going to run. And that's almost a little bit of a cheat code when it comes to the defense, right? My expectations for the same store tend to, to make a college football playoff. I think that's the goal for them. I think it's realistic.
Starting point is 00:20:38 The quarterback play has to improve the wide receivers. I really don't know what to make of them just because we really didn't get to see them have a chance to shine because of the quarterback play. I think some guys showed some decent flashes. I really like what I saw of TJ Washington. I love Brevin Dahl working in with wide receivers. I liked what I saw of Jerry Abui. Reese Van Der Zee, true freshman, was running a lot with the two,
Starting point is 00:21:00 so I think that's going to be a name to keep an eye on as well. But it's a college football playoff for Bustier. They have 18 returning stars, most in the Big Ten. You have arguably one of the oldest and most experienced defenses in the country. If Kirk Ferentz is going to make a playoff throughout the remainder of his career, I think
Starting point is 00:21:17 right now, very short-term, short-term thinking, this is going to be the year. Yes, it's a brand new offense, but look at the schedule. They're going to be favored they gotta get in there and they gotta make it happen david eichel joining us from hawkeyeinsider.com here on the lockdown hawkeyes podcast always appreciate conversations that we get with david lots of great information as always as we continue the countdown to kick off for football season. The watch list season continues. A ton of Hawkeyes getting some preseason pub.
Starting point is 00:21:48 A one lefty scratch in your head. That is we continue Lockdown Hawkeyes. Trent Conant back with you one final time here on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen of the day. For your second listen, enjoy the Lockdown College Football Podcast. Spencer McLaughlin gets you ready for a big season coming up on the football field with discussion on the upcoming season and so much more. The ever-changing landscape of college athletics, including conference realignment, the transfer portal, NIL, new college football, expanded playoffs, and a whole lot more.
Starting point is 00:22:34 Locked On College Football is available on YouTube and wherever you get podcasts. All part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Well, the other day we got another another one of the well feels like hundreds of emails that i get daily from the sports information department and it's something that comes with the territory you're anticipating you're going to get these and a lot of times it's not even worth an open at least for me it's watch this the watch list season is goofy silly doesn't paint a full picture of things, including a couple that were head scratchers.
Starting point is 00:23:07 Now, some of the names on the list that you anticipate are the latest one that came up on the earlier this week was the Lombardi watch list. So you have this is interior guys, Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson, and Logan Jones listed there. Now, we've talked about Logan Jones and his importance to this Iowa football season. He is a guy that is beloved. Iowa football really truly believes the coaches and the people inside the program that he is going to have a breakout season. It's never been about athletic ability for him. He definitely has that definitely has the power. It's those little intricacies of being a center and playing the position for a guy that moved over from defensive line and where he is today,
Starting point is 00:23:46 they need him to step forward in a big-time way. I would say at this point, his two years as a starter have been disappointing. He had the weird hitches, giddy-ups, whatever it was two seasons ago. The first year as a starter, at times the delayed snaps getting back there and led to all sorts of issues.
Starting point is 00:24:01 That improved and really was ironed out a year ago, and you see the impact plays that he makes. Consistency. That's what you're looking at out of Logan Jones. And if he has the kind of season like that, a lookout. A few other guys that are also on the award list coming up this season. Sebastian Castro. Probably one of the more unheralded guys on this Iowa defense.
Starting point is 00:24:20 He is listed on the Bronco Nagurski Defensive Player of the Year award list. Same for the Chuck Badnerick,ki Defensive Player of the Year award list. Same for the Chuck Bednarik, another Defensive Player of the Year, and then the Jim Thorpe Award for the Defensive Back of the Year. A whole host of awards for Jay Higgins. Buckus Award, Nagurski, Bednarik, the Werfel Award, that's for community service, and also now the Lombardi Award that he is a preseason finalist for that one. Nick Jackson for the Buckus award for best linebacker in the country. Nagurski for defensive
Starting point is 00:24:48 player of the year. Same for the Bagnaric. LaShawn Williams has been listed to the Doak Walker award watch list. Logan Jones now on the Outland Trophy and the Remington for the center award. Now along with the Lombardi that came out today. Drew Stevens preseason pub for him. Need him to bounce back
Starting point is 00:25:04 after the disappointing end. Looks like he's going to be ready to go. How about this? Luke Elkin, the long snapper. Yeah, he's up for the Manly Award. Luke Lachey, Mackey Award, of course. Comeback Player of the Year. No doubt about it.
Starting point is 00:25:16 And then finally, Cade McNamara. Now, him being on the list for Comeback Player of the Year, that makes a ton of sense. On the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the guy we saw on Saturday is not going to be winning any awards coming up this season. Let's hope things iron out.
Starting point is 00:25:34 I remain cautiously optimistic that we will see that, but we will see. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. We got you covered each and every day talking Iowa Hawkeyes. For your second listen, make sure you check out the Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. We got you covered each and every day talking Iowa Hawkeyes. For your second listen, make sure you check out the Lockdown College Football Podcast.
Starting point is 00:25:49 From NIL deals to the never-ending conference realignment rumors, Spencer McLaughlin gets you ready for the big season coming up on the gridiron. You can find the link to Lockdown College Football in the description so you don't need to search. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. More Hawkeye talk continues this week. We got a lot more to tackle. We got to finish up our position group breakdowns as well.
Starting point is 00:26:13 Deep dive throughout the course of the last few weeks on a bunch of the different positions. We still got a few more on that list, and we'll do that here. Locked on Hawkeyes. Thanks for joining us. We'll talk to you again tomorrow. Go Hawks.

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