Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Football: How concerning is Cade McNamara's quad injury? Can Iowa women sell out Kinnick?

Starting point is 00:00:00 We all know how important Cade McNamara is to this Iowa football team. The quad injury that he sustained Saturday might be a little bit more significant than people believe. Today, 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. 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.

Starting point is 00:00:45 We're available wherever you get podcasts. You can also always find us on YouTube. While you're there, hit that subscribe button. Helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. We got Kate McNamara information for you. And it's not good for the signal caller. We will get into that here today and his importance to this Iowa football team. Beth Goetz, the interim athletic director at the University of Iowa. She met the media for the first time today.

Starting point is 00:01:11 We break things down and what we heard from her, her vision in the interim role and how long will the interim tag be on Beth Goetz before the likelihood she becomes the newest athletic director at the University of Iowa. Plus the women's basketball team will be playing that exhibition game coming up in October against DePaul, and ticket sales are brisk. Is there a real chance that this thing will sell out? Well, let's get into it here today, and we kick things off with some football talk. After our only glimpse of the Iowa football team on Saturday, the big story that came out of that one, obviously, was the injury that was sustained by Cade McNamara as he was scrambling forward, had a lot of room, and then went down to the turf in ugly fashion.

Starting point is 00:01:55 Of course, Cade McNamara, a year ago, his season was cut short after an injury and knee surgery that he had after playing at the University of Michigan. He departs, makes his way here to Iowa City. And during spring, well, he was not able to practice fully. He was able to get some reps towards the end of spring practice, but still making his way back. And when the injury first happened on Saturday, many of the concerns were that surgery repaired knee, if that's what the injury was. We found out very quickly that was not the case.

Starting point is 00:02:23 Kirk Ferentz said afterwards it was a soft tissue injury and soft tissue injuries are the term that Kirk Ferentz likes to use with most everything, unless it's a broken something. That's usually what you're going to hear from Kirk, that it's soft tissue. And that's the terminology that he likes to use. We found out it was a quad injury. That's something that has been out there reported by various media outlets. And kind of the thought is that it's going to be fine. Kept hearing strain and got some information today from the University of Iowa inside the football program that it could be more significant than that. Now, this was also relayed right away that the plans are right now that Cade McNamara is going to be available and ready to go as long as rehab goes okay here in the next couple of weeks for the opener against Utah State. That he is going to be out there.

Starting point is 00:03:13 He is going to give it a go. But for the thought that this is just a little tweak and they're just being safe with him, it sounds like there is more significance than that. it sounds like there is more significance than that. If you look online and you go to, you know, your WebMD, you go to those kind of places, a quad strain is anywhere between one and four weeks, depending on the severity of that. A outright tear of the muscle, that is eight to 12 weeks. Again, it does not look like a tear if he's going to be able to give it a go or at least try against Utah State.

Starting point is 00:03:44 But I think what is being relayed right now, there's a little bit more to this injury than meets the eye. And the big concern about this, obviously, is just how important he is. You saw it on Saturday, if you watched it or go back, and a lot of the beat guys that had some film on Saturday of what you were able to see. He's just a lot better quarterback than anything else that they have on the roster. And the excitement level for this Iowa football season, a big part of that was having a competent quarterback,

Starting point is 00:04:14 having something that they really haven't had over the last three seasons. They take a step forward on that side and just how many warts that's going to cover up. Also, Cade McNamara, not a runner by any means. We're not talking about a guy that's going to tuck it and run. He's not going to have three, 400 yards rushing at the end of the season. That's not what he has, but he has the mobility inside the pocket. He has such an innate ability to understand, to feel that pressure. Something that certainly we didn't see with Spencer Petras at times we didn't see from Nate Stanley and behind an offensive line that you hope is going to be okay. Certainly not a great one,

Starting point is 00:04:46 you're going to need a quarterback that can move around a little bit. Doesn't have to be Michael Vick. Doesn't have to be Lamar Jackson. Doesn't even have to be C.J. Beathard early in his career. But a guy that just has that ability, shuffle around in the pocket. Look, Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback in all time, has never been known as a burner by any means. But his ability inside the pocket to be able to feel that pressure, to be able to move inside the pocket, that's what

Starting point is 00:05:09 separated him, even with his lack of athleticism, into becoming the great quarterback that he was. That's not to equate Cade McNamara to Tom Brady. That's not what I'm trying to do here, but he had some of those qualities. You know, quarterback, that clock in your head, that ability to feel things without seeing them, those are things that are very difficult to coach. And Iowa quarterbacks, even going back to Beathard, have not had a great ability. Their pocket presence has been severely lacking, and that was a part of the excitement I had for McNamara. Even if he comes back, and this quad injury is one to four weeks, they keep him under wraps.

Starting point is 00:05:45 He is not out there putting any kind of work into it. He goes out there and starts to practice during game week against Utah State. Okay. But is this something that's going to linger? That also has to be in the back of your mind, because if it happens, I said it on Monday show every day, as you know, this, I don't think I'm overstating it. If Cade McNamara goes down, if he is debilitated throughout this season because of this quad injury, they're in big trouble

Starting point is 00:06:11 because the backups are not there. You saw Deacon Hill. He's got a strong arm, and that's it. He's a bulldozer. He's thick. He's not a very good quarterback. There was a reason he was going to Fordham after he decided to leave Wisconsin. There's a reason he was going to Fordham after he decided to leave Wisconsin.

Starting point is 00:06:25 There's a reason he didn't get run at Wisconsin, even with the bad quarterback play that they got with Graham Mertz and company over the last couple of seasons. Strong arm, you need more than that. I don't think Deacon Hill has it at this point in time. Joe Labus, I like more. He hasn't been practicing.

Starting point is 00:06:40 And we'll see if he's able to get back out there. There was no update exactly what his injury was as he has not been practicing there. And then you got a freshman, Marco Lainez, that comes in. And he's another protege of Tony Rappiopi, like Spencer Petras. Eek. That's a scary part of it. Coupled with his first two snaps that he takes on Saturday,

Starting point is 00:06:59 he can't get a handle of the ball. Working on his center. Yeah, that's a wow. That is a wow. Cade McNamara get healthy young man let's hope that this injury is as insignificant as some people want you to believe but what I heard it's a little more significant than they are letting on and that is certainly scary for Iowa football well there is a lot more to get into here today including the interim athletic director Beth Goetz spoke to the media for the first time. What does the interim AD have to say about the Swarm Collective?

Starting point is 00:07:31 Famously, Gary Barta wanted nothing to do with it. In fact, never picked up the phone when the director of the Swarm Collective, Brad Heinrichs, gave him a call. What's different there? What's her vision for the program? Brad Heinrichs gave him a call. What's different there? What's her vision for the program?

Starting point is 00:07:47 And Brian Ferentz, to the 25 point per game and seven win plateaus that he needs to reach this year. Are they still there? We'll do that as we continue. This is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Today's episode of Locked On Hawkeyes is brought to you by eBay Motors. For a championship team, it's all about making sure every player is a perfect fit it's

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Starting point is 00:08:49 Let's ride. eBay guaranteed fit only available to U.S. customers. Eligibility items only. Exclusions apply. Trent Conant back with you again here on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every day.

Starting point is 00:09:05 Glad to have you aboard with us here today as we go into the weekend and our final weekend without football. That's right, week zero coming up next weekend. Looking forward to that. We'll get a little Big Ten flair out there. We'll get Navy, Notre Dame. We'll, of course, have an opportunity

Starting point is 00:09:20 to make some picks brought to you by FanDuel. We'll have that coming up for you next week here on the program as we count down to kickoff. Oh, it is getting ever so close, and it feels good certainly to have that. Well, today we heard from Beth Goetz, the interim athletic director at the University of Iowa. And for our viewers on YouTube right now, you see her resume before making her way to the University of Iowa.

Starting point is 00:09:45 Started up after her coaching career on the soccer pitch as the associate AD at Butler. Moved on then to Minnesota. Took over under a big-time mess at Minnesota as she was the deputy AD and became the interim AD herself. Cleaning up the mix and finished second in that race for the AD job and that was seven years ago went on to UConn before making her way to Ball State was the athletic director at Ball State out of the MAC for five years and then a season ago made the jump here to the University of Iowa certainly a very good resume and you look back at athletic directors in the past now there haven't been a ton of them. Bump Elliott to, what, Bob Bowlesby and now Gary Barta.

Starting point is 00:10:29 That's a pretty good job, right? You get this job, you're going to have it for a long time. At least that's been the case in semi-recent history. That has been something that is there. Beth Goetz has the resume. She will have a resume as good as anybody ever to get the athletic job, the AD job at the University of Iowa. There's no doubt about that. One thing I still maintain is just make sure to look around. Beth Goetz is highly

Starting point is 00:10:51 qualified. It has nothing to do with her qualifications. It has nothing to do with her gender. It has nothing to do with her resume. It has to do with this for me. At this point in time, we see the continued change from the Power 5 structure, Pac-12 going away, to a Power 4. Well, it's really a Power 2. The best jobs in this sport are in the SEC and in the Big Ten. And you want to have one of those jobs. Well, Iowa, well, they got a spot at the table, right? And there are only 34 of these jobs available in the country. Maybe there is a sitting athletic director in the ACC, the former Pac-12, even the Big 12. Maybe there's somebody there, like a Gene Taylor, on and on, that would be

Starting point is 00:11:30 interested in the job. And I think at minimum, you have to make sure that you are intervening other candidates. Beth Goetz very well could be the best person for this job. And if she is, I hope she gets the job. I just don't want to see the University of Iowa limit themselves because this is a big job. This is one of the top 25 athletic departments in the country in terms of revenue. They are in the top 15 in a bunch of different metrics. This is a big time job and make sure that you are handling it in that kind of fashion. Now, after hearing from her today, no surprise from everything that we have heard and talked about about her when she took over in the interim role and even going back when she

Starting point is 00:12:08 got this job, knocked it out of the park. I mean, you have an opportunity in your first impression to really kind of shape what the view of her is. And it was incredible. She did a great job up there on the podium. She answered questions truthfully. She was also in depth. She doesn't waste words.

Starting point is 00:12:30 There's not a whole bunch of filibustering there. That's not what you get out of Beth Goetz. She is somebody that is incredibly understood in the athletic department community. She is somebody that is well-respected, and she's somebody that if Iowa ultimately chooses her to be the AD, they're going to be in really good shape. So a few things to take away from this. And you start with the Swarm Collective and the famous relationship that wasn't there between Gary Barta, the former AD, and the Swarm Collective. Brad Heinrichs played golf at the University of Iowa. He went on, made a ton of money, and decided, as he saw more and more of these NIL programs starting up, that Iowa was being left behind, and he didn't want that.

Starting point is 00:13:07 So he's undertaken this, and he's undertaken it without taking a nickel of money for himself. He has added staff. He has obviously added and aided both the basketball programs and the football program in delivering. You look at what Iowa did this year in football in the transfer portal. That doesn't happen without the Swarm Collective. But Gary Barta wasn't willing to talk, not have a conversation. That is an awful look.

Starting point is 00:13:30 We saw Jamie Pollard just yesterday, the Iowa State Athletic Director, issue a statement and sent out a letter to his constituents saying, help him out. Didn't get anything close to that from Gary Barta. Beth Goetz gets it. And even when she was at Ball State, she was somebody that was willing to help the collective. Will it be everything that Brad Heinrichs wants?

Starting point is 00:13:53 Probably not. Because, hey, he's the kind of person that's shooting for the moon. But she is willing to listen, willing to help, and do what she can in order to make this happen. The University of Iowa, one thing that they have maintained for a long time in their athletic department, win, graduate, do it right. And sometimes maybe we can argue that the do it right part could be blurred a little bit more than they're willing to do. That's a conversation for another day, but they're not going to go all in, right? They're not going to cut every corner, if you will. And that's something

Starting point is 00:14:25 that Beth Getz also maintains. But I will tell you, I was really impressed about that part of it because it's incredibly important. We can complain about it. College sports, as I grew up with it, many of you grew up with, it is completely different than it was in our eras. However, this is the new reality and you have to embrace it. Adapters die, right? And if Iowa doesn't adapt and they're working to make that happen, they're going to be in big trouble. We're a small university in comparison to most of our others in the Big Ten. We're a small state in comparison to most of the others in the Big Ten.

Starting point is 00:14:59 We have to do things a little bit different. Look, there's no Minnesota State. There's no Nebraska State. There's no Wisconsin State. We got a Big 12 program in our state on top of it that has a stadium that seats 61,000 for football. It is, there are many difficult natures of the University of Iowa Athletic Department.

Starting point is 00:15:15 You don't want to be left behind. And this is something that's going to be incredibly important to make that happen. A couple other things from Beth Goetz in her press conference yesterday on the gambling investigation. And it was said that they hope to not have a resolution, but have information back in days, not weeks,

Starting point is 00:15:34 as it pertains to the football players as they get ready to hopefully get on the field at some point in this season. We know Noah Shannon is involved. We also know that Aaron Blom, his career is over, betting on an Iowa game that he didn't plan, but that is an ultimate no-no, and I got no problem with that. Look, you bet on your own team, you bet against your own team, whatever it may be, you can't come back. It's just as simple as that. It was a dumb mistake. It was a mistake,

Starting point is 00:15:58 not for tens of thousands of dollars, but for dozens of dollars, you just can't do it. It's the ultimate no-no. It's the ultimate spin, the ultimate no-no in athletics to do something like that. And I get that. But as we await Noah Shannon and we continue to hear that there are going to be other names that are going to be involved. Is it two games? Is it four games? Is it the six game suspension that can happen? That's what we're still waiting to see. The NCAA has had the information and Beth Getz says that they're hopeful to at least get some information back from the NCAA in days, not weeks. That is certainly important as Iowa prepares. Do they have to make some changes? Do they have to shift some guys around defensively, you know, for the first two, four, six games of the season, figuring all that out. It's incredibly important. Let's hope the NCAA gets off their tuchuses and actually make that happen it's incredibly important let's hope the NCAA gets off their

Starting point is 00:16:45 tuchuses and actually make that happen uh one final thing and probably the most interesting part maybe for many of the press conference the question was asked is Brian Ferentz still have his uh his pip right his performance improvement plan his IEP does he still have that getting to 25 points per game and the seven wins on the season. She said, yes, that is still part of his contract. She is, is now. She reports to him, not to dad, to him. There's a reason that nepotism laws are in place. And let's hope that the University of Iowa is doing this right. Well, it showed Gary Bart at least was trying to treat this as right as possible. When

Starting point is 00:17:25 somebody's terrible at their job, you put them on a pip, right? And that's what Brian Ferentz has at this point in time. We can argue the metrics. We can argue the reasons that they were put in place. We can also argue, and I'm willing to do it if you don't believe, if his name was Brian Jones, he wouldn't be around anymore, but it's not. And he is now going into what year number eight as the offensive coordinator. It's got to be better. And there could be excuses. There could be things that could happen, but those are still in place and certainly important to see the way that that is going to play out this season. If Iowa just goes out there and coast to a 24-3 win in week one against Utah State. Hoo, hoo, hoo.

Starting point is 00:18:05 He's not on pace for 25 a game. And already the catcalls will be out there with Iowa State on tap after that, Western Michigan, and, of course, the big one to open up Big Ten play on the road out at Penn State. That's what we heard from Beth Goetz. We wrap things up on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. And what are the more incredible stories of this season? So the women's basketball game, that's going to be played in October at Kinnick Stadium.

Starting point is 00:18:28 A great idea. It's an exhibition game against DePaul and they were trying to break the record of 29,000 and change most people ever to view a women's basketball game. Well, they got that. Can they sell out Kinnick Stadium? I think it's a real possibility. We'll do that as we continue Lockdown Hawkeyes. Trent Conant back with you one final time on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. As always,

Starting point is 00:19:04 thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Your team every day. That's what we do here on the Locked On Network. We have you covered. Locked On Big Ten. If you want a viewpoint of everything happening across the league, we got you covered there. Fantasy football right around the corner. How about that? Locked On Fantasy Football.

Starting point is 00:19:16 You're a gambler? Locked On Bets. Yeah. Lee Sterling, longtime guest on my radio programs. He helps run that over there. Your team in MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, you name it, we got it here on the Locked On Network. As we continue here, the football game will not be played.

Starting point is 00:19:33 It will be a basketball game in Kinnick. In fact, you see over my shoulder right there, right? Over my shoulder, if you're watching this on YouTube, you see the picture from Kinnick Stadium the day that they had the grapple on the gridiron, the match against Oklahoma State, one of the coolest events that I've ever had a part of. And it was a picture perfect day. It couldn't have gone any better in terms of weather for that one. And that's the great unknown. Anytime you hold something that's normally an indoor event and you put it outside. It worked out incredibly well.

Starting point is 00:20:05 Just being there for the match against Oklahoma State was so much fun. And when this was announced a few weeks back, I said, this is something we got to do. For every dares and you've been with us for a while, you know, went down and took my daughter down to Dallas for the final four. And what a great experience that was. And this is going to be one where you tell your kids about this one. You're going to tell the grandkids about the day that they put a women's basketball game in Kinnick Stadium. So I got the look here and this was the initial email that was sent out about

Starting point is 00:20:34 this, about what the structure is going to be. Again, you tell viewers, you will see this right now. So this is the way that it was going to look. It's in the north end zone. That's where they're going to have the floor. And you got, of course, the new north end zone with all the club seats up there, all the big wigs that are going to have that. You're going to put that out there. And they basically had this thing filled up to sections, let's see, 105 and 127. Well, they've already gone well past that. In fact, what I tried to get on this morning at 906,

Starting point is 00:21:01 that's what time I hopped aboard on the website and the ticket office to try to get four tickets, two adults, two kids. Couldn't get one. Couldn't get one. And I tried about 10, 15, 20 minutes later, I think it was. Still couldn't get anything together. Anything together, even two and two. We split up the kids and go that direction.

Starting point is 00:21:20 My wife and I, it wasn't happening. Couldn't find it. And then I got caught up in some work things and got back to it. And finally, when I did, well, they'd open up more seats, but they're all general admission at this point. So we got general admission, but look at this. This is what it was on Thursday evening and how much further out that the now tickets are. As they're selling general admission seating,

Starting point is 00:21:42 they have gone from what was supposed to be section 105 was going to be the end of it. They filled up 105 and 106 and 107, and now they're over to section 108. On the other side, they were going to be stopping at section 120. They were over to section 124. There is a real possibility that this thing is going to have

Starting point is 00:22:02 certainly north of 50,000. It was announced earlier today on KXNO during Murph and Andy that they'd already sold 30,000 tickets. That was at two o'clock. This thing's going to go north of 50,000. This thing's going to go north maybe of 60,000. When you get into the other end zone, the old south end zone, well, old, it was built and put into place 18 years ago in 2005. But you go there, that's about 10,000 seats. And that's going to be a long, long ways away from the hardwood in order to see that. But it is absolutely amazing what this fan base, just how beloved this team is. Caitlin Clark

Starting point is 00:22:36 and her abilities and just the fanfare that's going to be around it. This is something we have never seen before. Iowa very recently, in men's basketball, had the National Player of the Year in Luka Garza. Brad Banks was a Heisman runner-up. They've had All-Americans, but they've had nobody like this that takes a sport to a completely different place. And that's what you have with Kaitlyn Clark and the way that this fan base has wrapped their arms around them. People that have what you have with Caitlin Clark and the way that this fan base has wrapped their arms around them. People that have never watched women's sports before that has got aboard this train. It's something that it's indescribable what we're seeing. 50, 60,000 people at Kinnick Stadium to watch a women's basketball game. I've been there in Carver Hawkeye before.

Starting point is 00:23:23 I released a bloater. Well, they dropped the curtain and they tried to make it more intimate in order for it to feel like a venue that should have women's basketball. Well, now they sold out season tickets. And this is going to be one of your few opportunities to maybe watch this team in person this year. Look, if you didn't get tickets here in Des Moines, if you didn't get tickets and you're not part of this season ticket base, you're either going to be playing through the nose, you're going to be looking for a road trip to go on the road and maybe go up to Minnesota or somewhere else

Starting point is 00:23:50 if they play relatively close to wherever you are in the state. You're going to do those kind of things. But in order to see them in Iowa City, this is going to be your best shot. Proceeds are going to go to the Children's Hospital. And that's the other thing too. Look, it's going to be a Sunday in October. Very well the day after the Wisconsin game. Could be crappy weather.

Starting point is 00:24:07 Could be cold. Could be rainy and they have to move it into Carver. Whatever it turns out to be. And for a cost of $22 for me and my family, well, if we don't go, we don't go, right? Okay, it's a sunk cost. And the money's going to a good place. And you're going to be completely fine with that.

Starting point is 00:24:22 Let's keep doing it, Hawkeye fans. Go to Hawkeye Sports right now. Sign up for a couple of tickets, try to make it there. It is going to be an incredible experience. Now, are you going to be in a spot where you're not going to be able to see it very well? Probably you're going to be in general admission like me. Hey, I was at the final four when it was up in Minneapolis a few years back and my media section, I was at courtside. I will tell you that much. I was in the upper deck of U.S. Bank Stadium. I was a long ways away. But just being there, being part of the experience,

Starting point is 00:24:51 it was absolutely worth it. The other video screen's on. You'll see what's going on. And it's an exhibition basketball game. Let's have a fun time. Let's all experience it together. Should be a fun one at Kinnick. That does it for today.

Starting point is 00:25:02 Thanks, as always, for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every day. That does it for today. Thanks as always for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Back with you next week. Plenty to get into as we count down to kickoff. It will be game week of college football. Week zero will be beginning. We will obviously be talking about that. We'll see if we get more updates on Cade McNamara dealing with that quad injury, how much back at practice, what can he do at this point in time, working with his new receivers, trying to get timing down, all these different things. I'm a little bit concerned.

Starting point is 00:25:30 That's where we sit here today. Have a great weekend. We'll talk to you again next week. Go Hawks.

Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Football: How concerning is Cade McNamara's quad injury? Can Iowa women sell out Kinnick?

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