Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa football hires former Hawkeye Abdul Hodge to coach tight ends, moves Brian Ferentz to QBs

Episode Date: March 2, 2022

The Iowa football team made a surprising move yesterday by hiring former Iowa Hawkeye Abdul Hodge to coach the tight ends. This move has Brian Ferentz sliding into the recently vacated quarterback coach spot left by Ken O'Keefe. We break down what this move means and why Kirk Ferentz went this direction with the offense.We then dive into a controversial subject regarding the best player in the Fran McCaffery era. What does best mean and is it Luka Garza or Keagan Murray?The show finishes up with a preview of the Big Ten Wrestling Tournament.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.RunYourPoolIf you want to play against us for a shot at a cash prize join us at RunYourPool.com/LockedOn. And while you’re there, create your own pool for your friends and family. Enter ‘PUREMADNESS’ at checkout for $10 off your custom pool. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome back Hawkeye Nation to a Wednesday morning episode of the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast, your daily podcast covering your Iowa Hawkeyes on the Locked On Podcast Network. As always, I am your host, Andrew Wade. Excited to be back for another show today, and we have a great episode coming at you. The Iowa football team hires a former Iowa football player to join the staff promoting Brian Ferencz, or not promoting, but moving Brian Ferencz from tight end coach

to quarterback coach in addition to his offensive coordinator responsibilities. We're going to be talking about that first on the show and why it was a phenomenal hire, but also a surprising one. We also got to talk about Keegan Murray. After he won the fifth Big Ten Player of the Week honor this year, is he the best player in the Fran McCaffrey era, including Luka Garza? And finally, on segment three, we're going to be talking about the Iowa wrestling team and the seeds they got and which players or which wrestlers we should be on the lookout

for coming into tournament time. Before we get to all that, though, I want to thank you all for making the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast your first listen every single day. You can find the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast for free wherever you get podcasts at and also on YouTube by searching Lockdown Hawkeyes. And today's episode of the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast is brought wherever you get podcasts at and also on YouTube by searching Locked on Hawkeyes. And today's episode of the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast is brought to you by Run Your Pool. March Madness is here and Run Your Pool has a better way to create your bracket. RunYourPool.com, the premier sports pool hosting service.

So let's get into it. The Iowa Hawkeyes have announced that they, or at least sources have said, they are going to be hiring former South Dakota outside linebackers coach and NFL liaison, former NFL linebacker, and most importantly, former Iowa linebacker, Abdul Hodge. They have hired Abdul Hodge to be the tight end coach for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Now, a lot of people were quick to say, why did we do that? A lot of people were excited about say, why did we do that, right? A lot of people were excited about the possibility of hiring a quarterback coach, me included. I thought this is an opportunity to bring in a person who has a bit more experience developing quarterbacks.

So it was a bit surprising to me to see Iowa make this move and a move that we were not expecting, right? We did not expect Iowa to switch gears, not hire a quarterback coach and hire a tight ends coach, but nevertheless, it's one I'm very excited about. First and foremost, Abdul Hodge is going to be a leader. He is a highly respected former Iowa football player. Kirk Ferris loves him. The program loves him.

He is just a phenomenal guy all around. And when it comes to finding coaches, Iowa's going to want to find guys who understand how to play Iowa football, who understand the culture, the updated culture of Iowa football, and have good character themselves. Take away the tight end coach, he also hails from Florida. Just like Liddell Betts, who has a... No, Liddell Betts doesn't hail from Florida, but Liddell Betts has a recruiting circle in Florida.

Abdul-Hajj also has that ability as well, being from Florida, has some roots there, which should help Iowa continue to kind of target some of those guys in the state of Florida and that southeast region as well. Now, when you look at Abdul-Hajj, you think the guy was an outside linebacker in the NFL. He was an outside linebacker's coach. Why and how is he going to coach tight ends? I would like to quickly give you one amazing example of how where you played should not dictate who you are allowed to coach. Actually, two fantastic examples. First, let's start with LeVar Woods.

LeVar Woods was a two-year starter at outside linebacker for the Iowa football team. He then coached tight ends. He actually started out as the linebackers coach, then started coaching tight ends, and now he's the special teams coordinator. A good coach is a good coach. They're going to figure out ways to make an impact at their positions.

LeVar Woods is not a kicker by any means or a punter, but when you talk to Keith Duncan or you talk to a Torrey Taylor, they have the utmost faith in LeVar Woods. He's going to figure out everything he needs to do to make sure that they are going to be successful at their positions and that the special teams unit is going to be successful there as well. Now, a lot of you probably are not high on Brian Ferentz as a coach.

I would disagree to an extent, but Brian Fererencz is also a phenomenal example as well. A former center, he was coaching tight ends for the New England Patriots. Not just any tight ends. Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Arguably the best tight end duo ever to play the game. Before coming over to Iowa. Now he has continued to coach tight ends as he has also coordinated the offense.

But I think this move is a couple things. First and foremost, you are getting a phenomenal, high-character person in the building. You can never have too many of those guys. You're getting a former guy with Iowa football experience, Abdul Hodge, who is respected across the staff, has played with Brian Ferentz, has his ear, and honestly, as a linebackers coach, if I had

to pick another spot where you could transition to, it would be tight ends. Think about it. Linebackers are covering tight ends. You have to understand some of the tight end tendencies. You can look at it from that lens, and also, again, a good coach is a good coach. They will figure out ways to coach that position up.

Now, for Brian, this is a big prove-it move. The quarterback position clearly has failed the last two years. Whether it's Spencer or Alex, it has failed. We've seen glimpses from both those or Alex, it has failed. We've seen glimpses from both those guys, but it has failed. Ken O'Keefe is gone. Brian Ferenc now has the opportunity to not only be the offensive coordinator,

but to coach these quarterbacks up to play in his system. I also want to believe that this means that Brian Ferenc is going to have a little bit more control over his offense. And for those of you thinking, what do you mean he's the offensive coordinator? If you don't think that Kirk Ferencz has a lot of say in how Iowa calls their plays,

then you are taking crazy pills. Because Kirk Ferencz absolutely has a humongous impact on that. A big footprint, dare you say. Dare I say. So this is a big prove-it move for Brian Ferenc. He is now responsible for that position that has been the kryptonite of this Iowa offense the last two years.

If he can turn that around, this is a career saver for Brian Ferenc. Not saying his career is in jeopardy, but this is a big time opportunity for him to say, it wasn't me. I can be the solution. I was not the problem.

Without having to actually come out and say that. So I know I would have loved to have seen Drew Tate come in or Spencer Petras' quarterback coach, Tony R Raciopi I would love to see those guys have an opportunity but I am ultimately happy with this you get a high character guy here you get Brian Behrens on a prove-it situation where he's coaching the quarterbacks in the offensive coordinator position which is typically what you see in general in college football it's not often you have the offensive coordinator coaching tight ends now granted the tight end position has had a lot of success but I would like to see him translate that over

to the quarterback position. Coming up, we're going to talk about Keegan Murray and why he may be the best player in the Fran McCaffrey era. And what does best mean? Before we get to that, I do want to say congratulations to the women's basketball team. Kaitlyn Clark was named Big Ten Player of the Year yesterday. Monica was named First Team All-Big Ten. And McKenna Warnock was named Second Team All-Big Ten. So congratulations to those ladies on a phenomenal season. And let's see what they can continue to do going forward.

Before we get to the talk about Keegan Murray, though, I want to remind you that it might be tough to get your New Year's resolutions going, right? You're in month three. We are in March now. It is tough to stick to that fantastic eating plan you were keeping in January or February, or just keeping your fantastic health habits you're trying to build in the year of 2022. But it doesn't have to be that hard. If you're struggling with what to eat and how to eat it, grab yourself a Bilt Bar. Bilt Bar is a phenomenal protein bar that tastes like a candy bar, and they are truly delicious. It takes all those candy bar tastes,

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listen every single day. Make sure to check out the Locked On Bracket Breakdown March 14th right here on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast feed and YouTube channel. College basketball experts Chris Gordy, Andy Patton, and betting expert Lee Sterling give you in-depth breakdowns on every single matchup so you can play some bets and win some money at Run Your Pool when you go and sign up for my Run Your Pool Locked On Hawkeyes bracket or at betonline.net where you can play some actual bets there.

So let's get into it. Keegan Murray won his fifth Big Ten Player of the Week honor, which is fantastic. He has had a superb season, one of the best we've ever seen from a sophomore. Now, it's crazy to think that Iowa has managed to go from Luka Garza to Keegan Murray. It's not often you get that kind of transition. Now, before we talk about this segment, before we even got into our ad reads, I had said is Keegan Murray the best player in the Fran McCaffrey era? And you're probably

thinking there is no way. It is 100% Luka Garza. But I think it's important to define best. Now, Luka Garza was certainly more productive in a lot of aspects. He won a National Player of the Year award. You cannot take away those accolades. He is without a doubt going to arguably be the most decorated Iowa basketball player in all of our lifetimes.

But talent-wise, you've got to give it to Keegan Murray. Statistically speaking, they're a little bit more comparable than you might think. Looking at Keegan's statistics, 23.3 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals, two blocks. He's shooting 36% from three and 64% from the field. Now let me pull up Luka's real quick. I think that'll help kind of paint that picture as well. Luca Garza and his national player of the year award-winning season, 24.1 points per game, 1.6 blocks, 0.7 steals, 1.7 assists, 8.7 rebounds, shooting 44% from three and 58% from the field.

Now Luca was getting a lot of looks, triple teamed almost every single game, but Keegan Murray is starting to get those looks as well. Statistically speaking, they're actually a lot more comparable than you might think. Now, talent wise, no one is going to outwork Lukey Garza. He is going to outwork literally everyone on the court at any given time,

but talent wise, it may be Keegan Murray. What he is doing is playing some of the most impressive basketball we've ever seen. And he's positioning himself to be the highest rated or the highest drafted pick in the Fran McCaffrey era. And in the last four decades. Possibly ever. Right, we've seen Keegan Murray mocked in that top 10.

If he goes sixth or higher, actually fifth or higher, he'll be the highest drafted player from Iowa ever. Look at these guys who have gone first. The last first round of pick for Iowa was Ricky Davis back in 1998, going 21st overall. A.C. Earl went 19th in 1993. B.J. Armstrong, 18th in 1989. Roy Marble, 23rd in 1989. Ronnie Lester, 10th in 1980. Kevin Cooner, 12th in 1973. Fred Brown, 6th in 1971. John Johnson, 7th in 1970. And Chuck Darling, 9th in 1952. The game has certainly changed since the 50s, 60s, and even the 70s. Now, Keegan Murray has an opportunity to join a very very small list it is a list of nine people right now keegan murray barring some ridiculous collapse meltdown whatever it might be will be a first round pick in this upcoming nba draft ke Keegan Murray could be the highest pick ever for Iowa. So when

you talk about the best player in the Fran McCaffrey era, it depends on how you define best. Most talented? I think you got to give it to him. The guy can score from everywhere. He can defend all five positions. He's a matchup nightmare across the board. And I'd argue his play style actually helps Iowa a bit more come tournament time. Now again, this is not a knock on Luka at all. Luka was a phenomenal, and is a phenomenal basketball player. And truly, without a doubt, deserved to have his jersey retired. A legacy forever.

On the Mount Rushmore of Iowa basketball. When you talk about talent-wise, you've got to go to Keegan Murray. When you talk about how this team plays, in March, you don't see a lot of traditional centers being the show in March and in April. You're typically going to see guards and wings kind of light things up and carry teams forward. So I talked about the best player ever in the Fran McCaffrey era. I think it's a fair argument.

He will not go down as the best Iowa basketball player in the Fran McCaffrey era, but the best, most talented player without a doubt, I think has to be Keegan Murray, which is pretty impressive considering we just saw Luca Garza and Joe Wees can't play for the Iowa basketball team last year and are now playing in the NBA. You also have Tyler Cook, who is a phenomenal player as well. Also playing in the NBA at certain occasions. So I'm very interested in Iowa has had such success with these guys coming up. We're going to talk about the wrestling seed.

The wrestling seeds came out. What does it mean? What are the storylines to watch? We have you covered right here on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. And I want to remind you that March Madness is only a few weeks away. That means you need to start thinking now about where you're going to be running your brackets this year. Are you going for the usual or are you looking for the best? We've done our homework here, and we're running brackets with runyourpool.com. Along with standard brackets, Run Your Pool offers

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Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com. All right, y'all, and let's get into it. The wrestling seeds are out. It is a crazy time right now with everything going on. March is a phenomenal time to be talking Iowa sports. We have the women's basketball team that is going to be likely a fourth seed in the

NCAA tournament. We have a men's team that is positioning themselves to possibly be a five or even a six or even a five seed. I should say that's a little bit backwards in how I said that. And we have a wrestling team that is competing for back-to-back national championships. And it starts this weekend in the Big Ten tournament. Iowa is shooting for their third straight Big Ten team title. And the big thing about these conference tournaments, winning gets you into the NCAA tournament, but they're also given slots per conference. Now I don't think, I don't see anyone as being in danger to not make the NCAA tournament, but you could have a situation like that, like last year. I believe it was Max Mirren, who, or even, it's either Max or Caleb last year, who struggled

in the Big Ten team tournament and had to wait for an at-large bid. They were not given an automatic qualifying bid. But let's go through this weight class, right? The whole weight class is for the wrestling team. Obviously, at 125, Spencer Lee is not here, which hurts Iowa's chances to get that third straight title. But in his seed, Drake Ayala is at number six seed. And Drake at number six could definitely do some damage.

He's beaten fifth-seeded Devin Schroeder. He's lost to fourth-seeded Malik Heinzelman, 7-5. And if you want some happiness in this, Spencer Lee, in his freshman year, had three losses going into the Big Ten tournament and then lost his first match there. He ended up winning a national title. Drake Ayala, I'm not saying he is Spencer Lee, but he has

a ton of talent. And I've been very impressed when I've seen him wrestle this season. This is a guy to watch out for to make a run, possibly get on that podium as a medal or a one, two, or three finisher for Iowa at 125. At 133, Austin DeSanto is the number two seed. The biggest question mark here is, can he overcome Roman Bravo Young? It would be huge for his confidence. And Austin DeSanto, the beauty of Austin DeSanto come tournament time

is his ability to score bonus points. Nearly 70% of his matches, he is in the bonus, which is absolutely huge for Iowa come tournament time. Getting a major decision and a lot of points for Iowa Hawkeyes. At 141, Jaden Ironman at number two. Can he take down Nick Lee? He has only had two losses the last two seasons. Both have been in Nick Lee by a combined score of 10 to six. Starts here. Can he beat him here at the Big Ten tournament?

Take that into the national tournament and take him down there. That is going to be a huge opportunity for the Hawkeyes. At 149, Max Mirren ranked fourth, or seeded fourth, I should say. Again, this is a spot to watch out for. Only seven NCAA auto qualifiers from the Big Ten. Max Mirren needs to do well.

He's had an up-and-down career from the Big Ten. Max Murin needs to do well. He's had an up and down career with the Hawks. Can he put together for this matchup? At 157, Caleb Young is seated number two, and he's riding a hot streak coming into the tournament. After starting the season two and five, Caleb Young is now eight and O in his last eight matches. That is an impressive run that has been all Big Ten teams. Can he continue here?

He's a guy to watch out for as a potential sleeper to be at that number one spot. At 165, we have number two seated Alex Marinelli. Again, the bull is phenomenal. We're not too worried about him. He will figure his stuff out. At 174, Michael Kimmerer, kind of underseated. He struggled a little bit this year.

He's number four. And in the previous two seasons, he only lost in the national championship matches. This year, he struggled a little bit. He fell to Carter Sorocchi and also lost against Nebraska in a very weird match as well. He's going to get revenge against Carter Sorocchi or get an opportunity for revenge against Carter Sorocchi

in this match against Penn State in the Big Ten tournament, hopefully. As long as he's healthy, we should see Michael Kimmerer be able to make that podium and hopefully win the Big Ten title at the 174 weight. At 184, Abe Asad. This has been such a question mark for the Iowa Hawkeyes. This lineup at 184 has been such a struggle point the last couple of years. Abe Asad is also coming into this tournament with a bit of a down streak. He has one and four in his last five matches. Can he pull it together? Can he get Iowa some much-needed team points, get far into the Big Ten title? And then finally to wrap it up, number four seeded Jacob Warner at 197,

and Tony Cassiope seeded number two at 285, and he'll eventually meet the man, the myth, the legend, Gabe Stevenson, who will probably beat Tony Cassiope. Those are your seeds. As the tournament happens, we will try to break that all down for you right here on the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast. As I said, it is a busy time in the month of March, and we have so much content to cover for you right here

on the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast. I do want to remind you that you can find the lockdown Hawkeyes podcast here and make us your first listen every single day. And I appreciate you for doing that. It really means a lot to me, your support, but now make your second listen to lockdown NFL draft podcast hosted by Ryan Tracy and former NFL cornerback, Eric Crocker. They bring the NFL draft to life every single day with insight and analysis on college football prospects and the NFL front offices. And it's free and available wherever you get podcasts at.

So tune into that. Iowa Hawkeye Nation, we appreciate you tuning into today's episode of the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. We will be back tomorrow. So stay tuned for that. We've got a preview of Iowa, Michigan, the big men's basketball game taking place tomorrow night, plus other hot topics around the Iowa Hawkeye sphere.

So stay tuned for that. Have a phenomenal Wednesday. And as always, Hawkeye Nation, let's go Hawks.