Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa football not in Coaches Top 25, Hawkeye Football recruiting with Brian Smith

Starting point is 00:00:00 The coaches got it wrong. That's right. The top 25 is out in college football and they're missing the Iowa Hawkeyes. We'll talk about why they're wrong and recruiting with Brian Smith all today. Locked on Hawkeyes. You are locked on Hawkeyes. Your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network.

Starting point is 00:00:21 Your team every day. We're available wherever you get podcasts. You can also find us on YouTube. While you're there, make sure you hit that subscribe button. It helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. We got football recruiting coming your way here in just a little bit. Brian Smith is going to stop by, and we will talk with him about some of the upcoming prospects

Starting point is 00:01:00 in the world of Iowa Hawkeye football. We will get into that and a whole lot more here today. Looking forward to what should be a fun conversation with Brian. We do that always here on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Lockdown Hawkeyes each and every day, your team every day. That's what we do on the network. And we got you covered. Today's episode of Lockdown Hawkeyes is brought to you by LinkedIn.

Starting point is 00:01:24 These days, every new potential hire can feel like a high-stakes wager for your small business. That's why LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the right people for your team faster and for free. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash lockedoncollege. Terms and conditions apply. Well, as we get things started here today, the Top 25 comes out yesterday for college football from the coaches poll. And yes, top 25s in general, they can leave a little something to be desired. I completely understand that and understand the frustrations that are out

Starting point is 00:01:56 there for a lot of different people. So I was just outside the poll. The Hawkeyes are 26 is the way that you would look at it. However, when you look at this Iowa football team, the excitement that has been generated here during the off season, and I just continually am baffled how the narrative continues to be the offense. Yes, the offense stunk the last two years. It's been awful and it's never been great in the Ference era and certainly under Brian Ference. And that's the concern, right? Yes, the the weapons are better the quarterback play is going to be better wide receiver better running back better offensive line better all that and tight ends probably as good as they were a year ago the concern remains Brian getting out of his own way right making some of the mistakes that we've seen in the past when

Starting point is 00:02:40 he tries to get too cute at times he's trying trying to do too much. He just doesn't make the right call at the right time. And it's not an easy job. Look, this isn't like holding up your old PS2 or PS3 and getting out the old college football game. And that's coming back next year. Back when we talked to LaShawn, maybe we'll get a little bit more into that. But that's what we know right now is this has just not been the season. This has not been the corner that we hope to. And it's not as easy as just pushing the right buttons, going the right thing. But the narrative that continues that I was not going to figure this out. Two years ago, they won the division. Last year, they beat Wisconsin. They, even with that inept offense, were on the precipice of another Big Ten championship game appearance and winning

Starting point is 00:03:23 the division one more time. That team won seven games last year with that joke of an offense. And you don't think they're going to be better on that side of the football? There's no Michigan on the schedule this year. There is no Ohio State. Those are two teams that they played a year ago. Yes, you replace it with Penn State. That's going to be difficult. That's going to be a tough game. But when your crossovers are Rutgers and Penn State, it feels a whole lot better than what they saw a season ago. They have to go to Penn State. That's going to be difficult. But with Wisconsin going through the transition that they are going with the new offense, what Phil Longo is going to do as their offensive coordinator, Luke Fickle coming in.

Starting point is 00:03:59 Do they have the horses up front? That remains one of the big questions, I think, with this Wisconsin team, too, is what they're going to be on that side of the football after how elite that they have been defensively throughout the years. Will the offense get there? We'll see. I bring in Tanner Mordecai. He's going to be solid.

Starting point is 00:04:15 You'd anticipate it's still a quarterback battle for that job in Wisconsin. But that part of it, I just I don't understand still how Wisconsin can be considered the favorite. And it showed up here again on this poll. Iowa's going to be favored in 10 of their 12 games this year. There were a couple of early lines that came out from the South Point Casino out in Las Vegas. And my buddy Chris Andrews, the sportsbook director out there.

Starting point is 00:04:39 He had Iowa a little bit more of a substantial than underdog against Penn State than what we've seen a couple other places, including FanDuel, earlier this year that released their lineup. FanDuel, it's 10, 10.5 is what it's been throughout the course of the season. Chris has it, 13. So a little bit bigger there in terms of how big of an underdog Iowa's going to be. He also does have the Iowa-Wisconsin game, and he has the Badgers favored by five.

Starting point is 00:05:02 You're giving me five points right now in this game with this Hawkeye team, even on the road, even in a difficult road environment. I am absolutely taking that every single time. That's how good I believe that they're going to be. I think they're going to be a team to absolutely be reckoned with in a team that you're going to see a whole lot of this season. I will be shocked if this team does not finish off the season being ranked in the top 25. That's how good I believe this team is going to be. And if you've been listening to me for a while,

Starting point is 00:05:30 you're an everyday or, you know, I am not normally an optimistic fan. That is just not who I normally am. This is not just fanboy radio. This is not fanboy podcasting. That's not what this is. This is a true belief that this team is going to be outstanding, that this team is going to be in the top 25. In fact, we just did our poll for the Lockdown Network. We're going to have this released each and every week from our hosts across the network, and we are going to have a different kind of poll.

Starting point is 00:05:57 I had Iowa in the top 15. Call me a homer if you want. I don't believe it. And if you listen to me for a while, you know I'm not normally a homer. That is not how I do things. I just believe this team is going to be good. It's a belief in Cade McNamara. It's a belief that this offensive line has taken the lumps

Starting point is 00:06:13 and they are going to ascend forward. It's all those different things, and I truly believe we are set up for an exciting football season. The coaches, they got it wrong. No doubt they got this one wrong. We're going to see a fun season of Iowa football coming up here. We continue our conversation with Brian Smith. We take a look at football recruiting coming up for the 2024 class

Starting point is 00:06:36 as we look forward to that. Iowa, maybe a couple of holes to fill. Also going to talk to Brian a little bit about realignment. What that means for Iowa. Iowa, long-term, has not done a whole lot in California. going to talk to Brian a little bit about realignment. What that means for Iowa. Iowa long-term has not done a whole lot in California. It's been a while since we've seen a ton of prospects there. TJ Hall, absolutely. He's won. Spencer Petras, that's about it recently. What about recruiting in Washington, in Oregon? Are there prospects there that would make sense from

Starting point is 00:07:01 an Iowa perspective? Trying to find a new pipeline, opening up California. We're going to talk about that coming up here with Brian Smith in just a moment and break things down with him. As we roll through here, this is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. These days, every new potential hire can feel like a high stakes wager for your small business. You want to be 100% certain that you have access to the best qualified candidates available. That's why you have to check out LinkedIn jobs.

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Starting point is 00:08:19 Again, that's linkedin.com slash lockdown college to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Welcome back to the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast as we talk the world of Hawkeyes. And it's time to talk some recruiting as we welcome in Brian Smith, breaking things down and taking a look at this upcoming class for Iowa football and also break things down on what the future looks like. As always, good to catch up with you. How are you doing? Doing well, sir. How about yourself? Can't complain. Happy about everything going on here. Excited for the football season. And

Starting point is 00:08:54 well, football has kind of gone to the back burner a little bit because of realignment. And that's kind of the direction I want to go with you here. Iowa, four years going back to the Hayden Fry era. Texas was always a place that they went because of Hayden's connections down there. That has continued on during the Kirk Ferentz reign. They tapped into Florida for the first time. That was a place that Hayden had never gone to, but Kirk did early on with guys like Fred Barr and Benny Sapp

Starting point is 00:09:19 and a long list of players, of course, Brad Banks and the 2002 team. Florida was a hotbed. But now with the additions of California, with USC and UCLA, even Washington with that Seattle market and a pretty good high school landscape out there. Oregon to a lesser degree. You know, does this make sense for Iowa? Look, they're not going to be at the top of the rung.

Starting point is 00:09:40 They're not going to be beating USC for any Southern Cal recruits, anything like that. But kind of that next tier of candidate, Iowa. Maybe finding some new pipelines now in the future of the rung. They're not going to be beating USC for any Southern Cal recruits, anything like that, but kind of that next tier of candidate, Iowa, maybe finding some new pipelines now in the future of the Big Ten. Don't be surprised if they get a few kids that you may have otherwise thought would be, shall we say, an SC or UCLA guy. California kids now, their options are really weird. I mean, just think about the following facts, Oregon state, Washington state, and at least for now, depending on what the ACC does Stanford and Cal. I mean, the big, the big to do is just the PAC 12 dissolving altogether. So, I mean, they're going to, I mean, the big 10 is totally different. I mean, the Big Ten is totally different. So if you want to leave, you're going to be going out there anyway because USC and UCLA are going to be leaving to go play games.

Starting point is 00:10:29 I think it gives them a chance to be different. Why not Iowa? I mean, they're getting Florida kids now. Right. I mean, believe me, I live here. It is not easy to get Florida kids. It's the most recruited state in the country. So I'm curious to see what they'll do,

Starting point is 00:10:45 but I'm not going to be surprised when they get some kid that had offers from schools out west because it's just not that big a deal anymore because you're not playing there very much anyhow. So I think a lot of kids will actually come back east because once they're settled, they're going to travel less. That tier of recruit too, the kid that, you know, had some offers from Washington State, from Oregon State.

Starting point is 00:11:08 You know, those are the kind of guys that Iowa's got in the past when they have gone out there. In fact, Spencer Petras, he was an Oregon State commit before a coaching change there, and he reopened his commitment and ultimately became an Iowa Hawkeye. That's kind of the line that you're looking at. Those three-star kids, right, the under-the-radar, the guys that Iowa's done a good job of identifying and finding those kind of players. It would make a whole lot of sense. And you can also sell the fact, hey, you're going to

Starting point is 00:11:32 play near home a couple of different times. I think it does make something that makes sense. Mention, we all know about California, another state with a ton of prospects and a huge state on top of it. Southern Cal football, how good it's been. And we've seen the number of players that come out of there. I mentioned a Washington, you know, there was the big defense alignment a couple of years ago from Seattle that went to Ohio state. They've had some pretty good prospects that have come through. I don't know if you can rate it or anything like that, but how good is Washington football, the state of Washington and, and in a given year, you know, how many D one recruits come out of that state? If you know, there's usually two or three kids that can play

Starting point is 00:12:09 for anybody. Uh, a Mecca and Buka, the kid that was a receiver at Ohio state is also a kid. I send her a FUA is arguably the best player in the state this year. He's from O'Day in Seattle, which is the Catholic school. That's been dominant there for a long time. They have a handful. I don't think the depth of the state is necessarily great, but the first five kids can play for any team in the country. Iowa can certainly find a kid in the great Northwest at least once every few years. And if you're going to travel up to Seattle to play the Huskies, your coaching staff is going to go scout the area. I'm not saying they're getting Isindra Afua,

Starting point is 00:12:44 but they're also probably going to find somebody because that's what Iowa has done my entire life. They always seem to find something. I mean, I maybe look at the kid differently than they do, but it's where you end up, not where you begin, that matters. So, yeah, they can get kids out of Washington. It's a state that, I mean, if Ohio State's recruiting it, that's good enough for me.

Starting point is 00:13:07 Absolutely, and it makes a whole lot of sense. All right, let's continue on the conversation. Ian, I want to talk about a couple of guys we haven't talked about a ton that are committed for the class of 2024. And the guy that is ranked number one right now on three is Derek Weisskopf from Williamsburg. Now, Williamsburg, just outside of Iowa City, they play 3A football. They play in a smaller class. I don't think he went to a ton of

Starting point is 00:13:30 camps, but I talked to a player parent this past weekend. And one thing that they mentioned is they think that the upside of this kid is through the roof and run like a deer, 6'3", 210 pounds. I don't know how much tape, if much you've seen of him he's been uh committed for well over a year now april of 2022 he was one of the first commitments for this class but what you know out of him and and his translation how he makes the jump being a linebacker and maybe ultimately becoming the next jack campbell how big does he want to get? That's really what this comes down to because linebacker has become extremely explicit. Each position does different things and especially that hybrid spot,

Starting point is 00:14:13 which is probably where he would start, but I don't think that's where he'll end up because at two 10, he's going to wait two 30 pretty soon. Not many guys weigh in two 30 are going to cover slots. Matter of fact, that's just not going to happen, but man, a couple of things that you said are true. I was. Matter of fact, that's just not going to happen. But, man, a couple of things that you said are true.

Starting point is 00:14:29 I was watching some of his film again today. I'd seen it before. He is an absolute thumper and doesn't have any fear with contact. I could see him eventually being a middle linebacker. Why not? Because his physicality is there. But with his speed, I imagine that Iowa, and they've got a great defensive staff anyway, you find different ways to move him around and put him on the edge on a play.

Starting point is 00:14:49 You do stunts with him. You fake blitz and drop him into coverage. He's a smart kid. At his high school, they play him in the back end of the secondary, so the teams can't avoid him. Very smart, by the way, at the high school level. Just put your best player in the back end, and then he just ch chases down everything I was surprised at how well he ran too because of that I mean it's a screen game he'll be involved with he'll be a good blitzer he's just going to be a

Starting point is 00:15:13 good player if he's if he doesn't get injured he'll end up as the first or second team all big 10 guy you can see it a mile away another guy from down to your neck of the woods Florida we've talked about him a little bit in the past, but that is Rashad Godfrey. You had an opportunity to catch up with him a little bit ago. Fill all the viewers and the listeners out in the details of that. He's a really unique kid. I know him because he's played with Team Tampa. It's a seven-on program that's just tremendous.

Starting point is 00:15:39 And he's also just been around the area and been somebody we've known about for a long time. When I saw that he committed to Iowa, I mean, they don't get a ton of kids from Florida. You're like, OK, what's the deal here? And I talked to him about it. And he just said the visit was great. He said they did what they were supposed to. He felt comfortable. He liked the staff.

Starting point is 00:15:57 He liked the campus, the whole nine yards. And I'm like, well, that's a done deal then. Very comfortable with his decision. He thinks he can play corner. They like him at safety just as much. They're going to figure it out once he gets on campus. Like most Florida kids, he's confident that he'll make his way to the top either way. That's a Florida thing there.

Starting point is 00:16:15 They don't whack for confidence here at all, which is kind of something you need in the secondary because you're going to get beat sometimes. You've got to be a confident young man. And I just think he'll be fine away from home. Most Florida kids, I always question that, but he's a little more mature and he doesn't really care about the distance and all that. So good pickup for them and a very versatile athlete

Starting point is 00:16:35 that can play a lot of spots. One Florida question for you to finish up, and that is Xavier Lucas. I think he's still waiting for that Florida State offer, right? But the way that they're loading up in the defensive backfield, that's going to be difficult for that Seminole offer to come his way. Wisconsin, though, it seems like that's kind of what the industry is feeling like right now. If the Florida State offer doesn't come,

Starting point is 00:16:58 that he's going to end up and be a stinking badger. Well, I mean, that's the rumor. I talked to his coach the other day at the media day in broward county down by fort lauderdale where he's at everybody's excited about him we saw him last year when he was at dillard he transferred to american heritage which pumps out power five kids like crazy and they're very excited about it can play safety can play corner very long very athletic i i mean i don't know why more schools didn't recruit him. I really don't.

Starting point is 00:17:28 But, you know, what do I know? The film was pretty obvious. But there aren't many 6' and 6'1 corners walking around that are eligible to play college football. So whoever gets him is getting a good player. And, like, Wisconsin and Iowa don't get that many kids like this. This is how you compete with Ohio State. I talk about it all the time with you.

Starting point is 00:17:46 They need more guys outside the numbers. Yep. This is the kind of kid that changes your deal because he's a dude. I know he's really impressed the American Heritage coaches so far, and he's going to be on a national stage right away. So we'll see what he can do. Well, Brian, we come up towards the end of the month of August as we make our way through here.

Starting point is 00:18:04 And my last thing for you, there has been a thought out there Well, Brian, we come up towards the end of the month of August as we make our way through here. And my last thing for you, there has been a thought out there that we need to change the recruiting calendar. They added the early signing day. It really isn't early. It's in December. It's during a terrible time for coaches to try to make that work. But it's guys that have made their decision. The February date is not the same.

Starting point is 00:18:23 And there's a theory out there that you put it, maybe even something like next week, right in the middle of August, August 15th, the guys that have already made their decision, they sign on. Now coaching changes and the like could certainly change that. Are you a proponent of that to change the calendar as it's currently constructed? I don't think there's a good date for it, period. Because of the coaching carousel kids pick coaches not

Starting point is 00:18:47 schools i know i've said that on this show and every other locked on podcast that come on fans don't like it but that's that's how it works because of that just moving it up just changes who you actually get i don't know what you do though um there isn't a good time to do it like at the end of the year well well, that's the bowl season. You've got so many things going on. The coaches want to have a little rest with their fans. It's horrendous where it's at. But, I mean, their football seasons are still going on.

Starting point is 00:19:16 They don't want it to be during football season. When could you do it that it's not a nuisance? And so many kids, especially think about the kids that Iowa gets, they always sign a couple of kids every year they get offers during the season what do you do with that kid so it's it's very difficult i don't know if there's a really good answer for it i've never figured it out to be honest well and that schedule and that calendar just is so difficult when you you go through it and just trying to find that right time like you talk about. And also those late scholarships that Iowa's been big on, the guys that have some good senior film that don't have those offers,

Starting point is 00:19:52 well, you want to keep those scholarships open now because of the transfer portal, right? This year I thought Iowa did a really good job in the portal, surprising how good they did, and you want to keep those scholarships open. Well, there's no right answers, and that's why the coaches get paid the big bucks, right? They can figure it out. That's right.

Starting point is 00:20:08 I'll let them figure it out because I certainly don't have the end-all, be-all with that. Well, Brian, the next time we get you on, we will talk a little bit more. We'll start to take a look deeper forward into 2025, maybe even 2026. Man, it makes me feel old when you're starting to talk about those classes, doesn't it? It is what it is, man. Recruiting never stops. Absolutely. Thanks for your time today, Brian. Take care, sir. Have a great day. That's Brian Smith, our recruiting analyst here on the Locked

Starting point is 00:20:34 On Network, breaking things down as we do on Locked On. Thanks again to LinkedIn. Jobs are recruiting throughout the course of the year. A big thank you to them for being with us again with our recruiting updates. Again, these days, every new potential hire can feel like a high stakes wager for your small business. That's why LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the right people for your team faster and for free. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash lockdown college. Terms and conditions apply.

Starting point is 00:21:03 We come back and put a cap on things as we talk the world of Hawkeyes. Little basketball conversation. Iowa playing overseas. We'll get into that as we come back on LockedOnHawkeyes. Trent Conant back with you one final time on the LockedOnHawkeyes podcast.

Starting point is 00:21:22 Thanks for making LockedOnHawkeyes your first listen every day. So final thing for you as we're talking right now, as I'm recording the episode, Iowa Hoops is in action in Paris. What against the Paris All-Stars is what they call. I don't know how All-Star-ian, is that a word? No, it's not.

Starting point is 00:21:40 They are, but Iowa's rolling in this one. So we'll have a full recap of everything tomorrow. I saw a cool highlight. If you follow the Iowa men's basketball account on Twitter, They are, but Iowa's rolling in this one. So we'll have a full recap of everything tomorrow. I saw a cool highlight. If you follow the Iowa men's basketball account on Twitter, the two freshmen that played together at Moline and led their team to a championship this year, Brock Harding throwing an alley-oop off the backboard to Owen Freeman. That has been the one guy that the buzz has continued to build

Starting point is 00:22:03 throughout the summer, Owen Freeman, about what he can be and how much of an impact he can make during his freshman campaign. We're going to talk about him a little bit more. Also want to break down the point guard position. Iowa playing shorthanded right now. Patrick McCaffrey, he's not over there. He's playing in the Nike Skills Academy. So he's going through that.

Starting point is 00:22:21 You have that component of it. You don't have Riley Mulvey, who you're hoping maybe Mulvey can finally figure it out. Well, he had a wedding, so he's not over there. This roster is looking a little bit different. Exactly what buttons were they pushing? We'll take a look at things. We'll get a look at the box score and see if we can get a little more information on that front.

Starting point is 00:22:39 We got that coming your way. Also had a great conversation with David Eichold. We'll have that for you also on tomorrow's podcast. Before I make my way to Las Vegas on Thursday, and we will come to you live from Circa and Stadium Swim coming your way for the shows later on in the week. As always,

Starting point is 00:22:55 thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. We'll talk to you again tomorrow. Go Hawks!

Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa football not in Coaches Top 25, Hawkeye Football recruiting with Brian Smith

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