Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Football Open Practice Recap, Cade McNamara injury

Episode Date: August 14, 2023

Trent Condon is back with a look back at Kid's Day and the open practice for the Iowa football team.Cade McNamara went down with an injury. How bad is it for the Iowa signal caller and how do the back ups look at the most important position in sports.Kaleb Brown might not be the best of the transfer receivers; a look at Seth Anderson, the offensive line has some concerns and another year of depth at tight end plus a potential of some depth at the running back spot after Kaleb Johnson.Then some thoughts on the defensive spots including the rich getting richer at defensive end, how does WILL & MLB shake out between Nick Jackson and Jay Higgins and some youngsters to get excited about in the back 4.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!NutrafolTake the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com/men and enter the promo code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE. LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONCOLLEGE. Terms and conditions apply.eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit. eBay Motors dot com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Right now, when you bet on a Super Bowl Winner, you can GET BONUS BETS EVERY TIME THEY WIN IN THE REGULAR SEASON! FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kids day is in the books. Our only look at the Iowa Hawkeyes here during August camp before it starts for real in a couple of weeks. We got to look. And if Iowa loses Cade McNamara, this team is screwed. You are locked on Hawkeyes. Your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day.

I'm Trent Condon, and this is the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen 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. Helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. Today's episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. 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 lockdowncollege. Terms and conditions apply. Glad to have you on with us here today as we look back at the weekend that was in Iowa football. Certainly a busy time for the Iowa football program. Friday was media day. Saturday, of course, was the open practice with Kids Day at Kinnick Stadium.

Many people made their way there. A lot of autographs were signed. And we got our first look at this Iowa Hawkeye team. It's the only look that we'll get before the games begin for real coming up here in just a few weeks. The excitement continues to build, but really the biggest storyline is what happened to Cade McNamara. After making some plays, a couple of beautiful shots up the field,

hit a couple of big gainers out there. He left practice with an injury. And at first, when he saw the first reports and he saw him as he is limping off and saw the play as it happened, it was a scary one. There's no doubt about it. A non-contact injury, a guy coming off a very significant knee injury

from a season ago that finished up his career at the Michigan quarterback spot as the backup a season ago to J.J. McCarthy. We saw that happen, and I think a lot of people, their hearts were in their throats, right? Just not knowing what this was going to be. Now, afterwards, we did hear from Kirk Ferentz. We also saw Cade McNamara return to the sideline, which was certainly a good thing to see him back out there. Didn't have a brace on, didn't have ice. He called it a soft tissue injury. Looks like maybe a quad muscle strain,

something like that. You hope that this is not something that is debilitating, but your biggest takeaway with this, and it came without saying, right? We knew this coming into this season. We knew the importance of Cade McNamara and this team if they were going to win a division title, if they were going to have a shot against the elite of the East in a Big Ten championship game and do something special with this Iowa football team.

Cade McNamara was going to be a huge part of it. We saw Deacon Hill. Deacon Hill can throw it a country mile. He's just not a very good quarterback. There was a reason that he was destined for Fordham when he decided to leave Wisconsin before the Bud Meyer connection opened up his former quarterback coach at Wisconsin. And they said, you know what? We could use a little bit of depth, a little bit of help here. And he made his way to Iowa city. The other backup, Joe Labus. Well, we didn't get to see him because he is dealing with an injury, and the other quarterback on the roster, at least scholarship quarterback,

currently is the true freshman, Marco Lyon, who looks to have a long ways to go, and another one of the protégés of Tony Rappiopi, the self-proclaimed quarterback guru that didn't go very well for Spencer Petras. Let's hope it's different for Lyon as but had some issues of his own towards the end of practice. McNamara, though, when he was in there, though, he wasn't elite. His ability to move in the pocket, something that Iowa hasn't had really in a long time. Nate Staley was a physical runner.

He had the size to be able to do it. And every once in a while, he could tuck it and pick up a long time. Nate Stanley was a physical runner. He had the size to be able to do it. And every once in a while he could tuck it and pick up a first down. His biggest thing, though, with that big size that he had was his ability on the quarterback sneak that made him a pretty significant runner there. And didn't matter if it was third one, fourth and one, or even second and goal from the four yard line, they were just going to go a couple of quarterback sneaks and punch that ball into the end zone with Stanley. McNamara is different. Now he's not an elite athlete. He's not a guy that's going to wow you with his legs, but it's what happens between the eyes, right? What he has happening in the mental side of the thing, just his ability to understand his feeling of the pressure that comes up there

that goes to the offensive line. And we're going to get into that here for a moment. If your takeaway though, from this one though, is not how significant the drop-off would be between whoever the backup is and what would they have with Cade McNamara, I think you're really missing out here. That's how important McNamara is in this offense, taking some shots up the field. That was fun to see, and we will see exactly how that translates on the field. Let's get into the offense here and take a look at few of the nuggets as we take a look back at kids day on Saturday from Kinnick Stadium well got to start with the offensive line you guys have heard me now for years

if you're in every day or you know it's a conversation that comes up often offensive line play it is the single most important part if this offense is going to click this year, it's going to start there. Quarterback better, running back better with Caleb Johnson going into a sophomore year and really feeling good about three, maybe as many five running backs. We'll get into that a little bit later on. The wide receiver group is obviously a whole lot better. We will get into that group and what we saw on Saturday from that group and the tight ends are going to be excellent offensive line. So this is how they line things up. This and what we saw on Saturday from that group. And the tight ends are going to be excellent offensive line. So this is how they line things up.

This is what we got to see first out there on the field, the starting lineup, if you will. And this is just one single practice. We have to remember that. What are we talking about? 25 practices before they actually get to that first game of the season. We just get to see one and we're going to overreact at times.

That's just the reality of the situation. This is what the offensive line looked like. It was Mason Richmond at left tackle. There was surprise there. He has really entrenched himself. And we saw some improvements out of him certainly a year ago. And you're hopeful that he can become that guy that now takes the leap as an upperclassman. There were times that he struggled early in his career.

He is out there now. And you hope that he is a guy that solidified that left tackle position. Logan, excuse me, center position is also set with Logan Jones, and we've talked about the struggles that we saw from Logan a year ago. Ball getting back there, just the timing was off. This is a guy that was at the defensive line position before moving over to center a year ago during spring practice, and that certainly showed up at many parts throughout last season. Still, we continue to hear this from the coaching staff about how much better he is, how much more comfortable he is in that position.

And it gives you hope that he's going to be in good shape. At left guard, it was Connor Colby. Colby, we saw. He's not a tackle, but he is a guard. Right guard was Nick DeYoung. He's got versatility. He can play outside. He can play inside.

We got to see a big leap out of him, though, because he has been nothing short but as awful many times in his Iowa Hawkeye career. And then they have Jennings Dunker out there as a starter at the right tackle. You know, kind of your concern with this group is who is the tackles? You know, there isn't really that prototypical tackle

on the roster, at least ready to go right now. You hope some of the freshmen maybe will develop into that, but probably outside of Dajon Parker, that looks the part. But he had the knee injury back in spring practice, making his way in from Saginaw. He's a guy that is obviously making a big jump up from D2 football, now playing in the Big Ten. Parker, though, just hasn't been healthy, and he's the guy that I'm certainly hopeful eventually will become that right tackle because he has the size.

He has the measurables. He has the athleticism to get out against those speed rushers and the guys coming off the edge. He has those things that you're looking for. Maybe that leads Dunker inside. And then he got depth there. You know, Rusty Beth wasn't a starter, but he's also transitioning coming in for Miami of Ohio.

He was a guy that was really good as a sophomore and a junior at Miami of Ohio and then struggled in his senior campaign, at least statistically from the numbers from Pro Football Focus. Tyler Ellsbury's got a couple of starts in his career at Iowa under his belt. He was part of the backups along with Bo Stevens, Michael Malinsky, a few other guys that were out there that you've got to take a look at and they're going to be a part of here, but it kind of feels at this point that the two transfers are still learning the ropes, trying to understand. You do want Kirk Ferentz. He's high on this offensive line. He was relatively high in this offensive line a year ago when it's one of the worst we've seen probably since his first two seasons as the Iowa head coach. That's how bad

that offensive line was a year ago. And there were times that he thought they were trending in the right direction and it never exactly hit. Is he just trying to, you know, talk himself into this offensive line being good? We know the importance of it. We know how big it's going to be for this offensive line. We're going to talk more about the offense when we come back on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast.

Wide receiver popped five deep at the running back position. I don't think it's crazy to say we'll get into that a little bit more. Plus the defense as we take a look back at our only look at the Iowa Hawkeye football team before we get in to the first game of the season as we continue here on Locked on Hawkeyes. 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. LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the right people for your team faster and for free.

As a small business owner, I know the importance of this. Time is money. And if you're spending a lot of time setting things up, trying to find the right people, it can definitely cut in to your bottom line. Very easy at LinkedIn Jobs. You just add your job and the purple hashtag hiring frame to your LinkedIn profile.

That spreads the word that you're hiring. Then simple tools like screening questions make it easy to focus on candidates with just the right skills and experience so you can quickly prioritize who you'd like to interview and hire. It's why small businesses rate LinkedIn Jobs number one in delivering quality hires versus leading competitors. LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to faster. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash lockdowncollege. That's linkedin.com slash lockdowncollege

to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Trent Conant back with you once again here on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. As always, thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Your team every day. That's what we do here on the Lockdown Network. And if you're a fan of a baseball team as we make our way through August,

Cubs fans, I know you're getting fired up. Twins fans like me still in first place in that terrible division. We got you covered there. No matter your NFL team, NBA, NHL, we have you covered here on the Lockdown Network, your team every day. Also have you covered the fantasy football, betting tips, and a whole lot more.

You have it all here. How about Lockdown Big Ten? Big Ten fans, obviously, are with us here on Lockdown Hawkeyes. Do great work over there on Top Fit. Let's get back into the offense here as we take a look back at spring practice and what we saw. Spring practice, fall camp here, August camp, and a couple of things in the open practice from Saturday. So I mentioned wide receiver. Now I know

how people are enamored with Caleb Brown. This guy was a top 100 recruit regardless of position coming out. He played as a true 100 recruit, regardless of position coming out. He played as a true freshman at Ohio State in that incredibly talented wide receiver room. You're excited about him. And seeing the drills, you can just see he is special. He's got a gear that just not many Iowa wide receivers have had in the past, but he's still learning the position.

I think that's also for God. Remember, he was a running back at the high school level. And though he learned a year ago at Ohio State and got out there on the field, he's still learning the position. And that's something that is incredibly important. Plus, on top of it, he's learning a new system. He's going through that now, trying to learn the Iowa system. So there's still going to be a little bit of growth that's going to be there by the

end of the season. Could he turn out to be the guy that becomes the number one? That's a possibility, I think. But I think there are some other guys we got to mention. Nico Raggini, we know what we're going to get out of him year after year, get him healthy, put him in bubble wrap and have him ready by the end of the season after the foot injury that he sustained last year. How many injuries have piled up in him now going into his sixth season of eligibility? We know about Ragini. How about Seth Anderson? You know, I was so enamored with Seth Anderson watching back, went back when I recruited

him and got his commitment, watched his game against NC State, against a very solid ACC team. He looked the part out there when he was at Charleston Southern. Looked really good in that football game. There's other times you watch the highlight package. He just understands the position. He's got the bloodlines, obviously, with his dad. Flipper Anderson, the former NFL great.

You have that component to it. Not a big guy, but he's got speed. He's got, speaking of different gears, he's got a different kind of gear than a lot of guys. And then Deontay Vines. You know, Deontay Vines, a year ago, he was the guy kind of at this point in camp that was getting so much buzz.

Now, Iowa was getting decimated with guys sitting out and had injuries and had all kinds of things trying to figure out exactly what they were going to be. Vines was that guy before he broke his wrist and had to sit out the first six games of last season. And we saw him on the field in the back half of the year, made some catches, made some plays, but I think he has kind of hit the ground running here in spring practice and into fall camp. He's been really, really good, and that makes you excited about the wide receiver position. Then I mentioned, yeah, five deep. Now, on the surface, Caleb Johnson is the dude. This is your bell cow. This is the guy that needs to get 80, 85% of the snaps. I think he's that good. I think he's that talented. I believe he is as talented as a running back

and a combination of everything that they've had since Sean Green. I don't think that's a stretch. I don't think going back 15 years and looking at the season that Sean Green had, that's the kind of season I could definitely see for Caleb Johnson again, if the offensive line is able to figure it out up front.

He is so talented, power, size, is able to figure it out up front. He is so talented. Power, size, speed. He has it all. Iowa, Goodson, Wadley, those kind of guys. Kind of scat bats, right? Not the biggest guys by any means. This guy has the size that you can give the ball to him 20, 22, 24 times a game and feel really confident. If he can stay healthy, they're going to be good.

He got a very competent backup in LaShawn Williams. We've seen him. John Pedersen, I think his best football still is in front of him. But then we got a couple of other names late in practice on Saturday. A couple of guys that I think surprised a lot of people, myself included. Now, Tara Washington came in. He was part of the group that went through spring practice. He enrolled early, saw him.

Another versatile kind of guy. He's been called the best pass catcher already out of the running back group. And we'll see if there's some kind of role for him this year, using him at jet sweeps, doing some different things that way, use him in the passing game a little bit more, if he can carve out a little bit of a role. And then Kamari Moulton, a guy from Florida that we just frankly have not talked about a whole lot. Moulton really showed a little punch to his game and finishing off runs, which you love to see out of that group.

So that's what we have at this point in time out of some of the offensive guys. We mentioned the offensive line, the importance there, tight end. They're going to be five. Hey, Steven Stylianos, he's big, learning the ropes again, making that transition up, transferring up to the Division I level, and to play at Iowa like we saw from him a year ago. He was behind a couple of really good tight ends, but he's good. I mean, he's a guy that you don't feel too bad about in the third or fourth option, whatever it is. Addison Estrengo, we've continued to sing his praises. I believe he's

the next great Iowa tight end, but Stylianos has got something there. I think something that he can be part of the mix at the very least at the tight end position. Well, we get over to defense, and though the questions are not there, the depth, that's where the question mark is, certainly at the linebacker spot in the defensive backfield. Cooper Dijon did not practice.

What does that mean for those defensive backs and especially the cornerback position? What about Cash? If Castro and we continue to hear the rumblings, maybe there could be a safety involved in the investigation. Maybe a potential that a safety could be sitting out a couple of games if that's the case. Does that mean Sebastian Castro needs to move back? Who would be the backup at the cash position? We'll talk about that. Break things down, take a look at the depth, and maybe a few new names that popped a little bit on Saturday. That's as we continue here on Locked on Hawkeyes.

Trent Conner back with you one final time. This is the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked on Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Defensively, well, the defensive line showed up. Noah Shannon, another one that we're awaiting from the NCAA. What kind of suspension he's going to be looking at for this upcoming season.

Now, he was not sitting out because of that. He was sitting out because of injury. But we saw that with a bunch of the veteran guys, right? We mentioned Cooper Dejean. He wasn't out there uh you go a little bit deeper through a couple of the position groups those veterans they get some days off right they've they've put in the work they know what they have with these guys and you want to keep them healthy i mean you just you go through that many reps and there's going to be injuries that definitely pop out and i was working to make that something that isn't going to happen coming up this season. But with Noah Shannon, all right, he's out. That means why a

black. That means we're going to see a whole lot more Aaron Graves. Those two guys, a black is just a behemoth. He is such a big dude out there. You look him in that frame, that size, he's wearing a number in the nineties. He just is a hulking, hulking dude out there. Pad level has been a concern because of that size. That's something that's always been talked about him, but also health has been a concern, a healthy season from him. The depth of the defensive line is ridiculous and maybe it got even deeper from what we saw on Saturday. Brian Allen, we talked about him and Caden Crockford a little bit, the redshirt freshman, and are we going to see a little bit more out of those guys this year? Well, certainly I thought Crawford had a couple of moments, but Brian Allen, he was all over

the place. This is a guy that is seriously probably number six at the defensive end position right now. And he was causing havoc all over the place. And it didn't matter what team he was going up against. He was in there making plays, disrupting. We saw the same thing in the spring game back in the springtime and just how good he was back in April. Kind of a gamer.

Now, Kirk was quick to mention afterwards. Haven't seen that every practice. He hasn't been out there being Lawrence Taylor-like like he was on Saturday, but really good to see yet another piece of the depth there. We didn't get to see what Pittman wasn't out there as he was attending a wedding, but got to see that defensive line. It is so deep. It is so good.

They are going to just absolutely dominate Deontay Craig. He's not only looking at an all big 10 season. He very well could be in the running for an all American. That's the kind of number that he could put up there in terms of tackles for loss. In terms of sacks, he did it a year ago in a limited role with six and a half. Now, can he get up to double digits this year? I don't think that's a stretch by any means for Deontay Craig and just how good he is. The question is back behind that, right? And at the linebacker spot, what they're going to do, trying to figure out Nick Jackson coming

in from Virginia, three-year starter with the Cavaliers, and then the returner in Jay Higgins. So Higgins gets thrust in a year ago, playing though with Jack Campbell, playing not as often as Iowa ran a whole lot of cash last season. But he was out there after the injury to Justin Jacobs, and I thought acclimated himself very well. Really improved as the year went on. Figuring out that right combination, it was on Saturday, Jay Higgins in the middle with Nick Jackson at the will position and basically Iowa their system it's a 4-3 with two inside type numbers the will guy is more of an inside type of backer and then you're Leo with Carson Shire who many people anticipated would be the guy out there it was Kyler Fisher he's been around he's been a

special teams ace for the Hawkeyes and they feel very confident with Fisher. You can see that not a real tall guy. What is he? He's listed at 5'11". That means he's probably 5'10". As a short guy, I definitely know how that one works out. But Fisher, he's going to be in the right place. He's going to be fine. Some of the other young guys, we're continuing to wait for them maybe to pop a little bit. That's what we saw at the linebacker spot. Still, the biggest question at linebacker is going to be figuring out what is the best combination for this team. Is it Jackson inside and Higgins out or vice versa with the will and with the middle linebacker spot and then figure out Leo. Now I mentioned the defensive backfield and Sebastian Castro at the cash position. Looked like the second guy out there at the cash position was Cohen Entringer. And Cohen is a guy that just continues to generate buzz.

He really took a step forward during both December camp leading into the bowl game. I heard a lot of good things about him. Spring was a little bit uneven, but it looks like he's kind of hit the ground running here himself during August camp. He is a guy that is versatile. They can play him at that cash position. He can be a safety. And if it is something where Castro's got to go back there, move back to his original position as a safety, that's something that they definitely could do and play around with that

a little bit more. No Cooper to Jean meant we got to see a couple of the youngsters out there. Great to see Jamari Harris out there. We know when he's healthy, what a good player he can be and is going to be for this Iowa football team. And you hope obviously for health for him and everybody coming up this season. The other guys though, if you've been listening to me for a while, you know that I don't want to say it's unfair, but there's a lot of people that want you to believe what we saw from TJ Hull. He got thrown in last year after Cooper Dijon was injured in the Nebraska game. He gets thrown into a very difficult spot against one of the fastest wide receivers in the Big Ten, and he got burned. You could say that maybe Phil Parker should have relied a little bit more on a

little extra help for him in that game. That's an argument Phil Parker and Phil we trust, right? We go down that route, but I understand that line of thinking. Still, TJ Hall, a guy that was a fantastic athlete out of California, a place that Iowa doesn't fish a whole lot in the recruiting waters in California. They beat out Michigan Forum, a couple other big programs, and he is continuing to build. But the other guy that came in last year as a freshman was another one that I think was definitely an eye-opener into Sean Lee. He made some big plays, one up the field, really difficult pass, intercepting a tough pass for him.

I thought he showed out really well, and you're looking to build that depth. We know you need cornerback depth, not only because a lot of times you're playing deep three guys, sometimes four over the course of a game. You've got to have the depth there, and I think they are starting to build that just a little bit. One other name I wanted to throw out there,

the linebacker spot, forgot to get to him, Jackson Rexroth, a really good story too. And a guy that I think is going to be out there right now at the Leo position with the injury that we're going to see with Shire being hurt right now. Maybe Rexroth out of the young guys is going to be a one to finish up. Speaking of finish up, we finish up with special teams. Tori Taylor is a stud. All right, not much

more to say there. Kicker, Drew Stevens comes back after a freshman All-American campaign. Had a couple of misses in there. Heard it has been shaky at times, but Kicker, get that headspace right. The good thing is certainly the power in the leg has amplified this year and they're going to need that. Not just for kicking, you know, a 52, 53 yarder from time to time, but he's going to be doing the kickoff duties. And because of Aaron Blom, obviously his college eligibility is over betting on a game a couple of years ago. That's going to be something as well. We'll get more into the betting, the news that broke while I was in Las Vegas about

Arlen Bruce and a few other players. We will get into that here in the coming days on Lockdown Hawkeyes. That is a recap, though, of Kids Day. A lot of great things. Where am I right now? Had this question posed to me. Where am I right now? Had this question posed to me. Where am I after spring practice? Now, after, why do I say spring practice?

After our kids' day open practice, where am I right now? A little bit more concerned about offensive line. And it's not because the defensive line dominate, because they always dominate. It just, it happens every single year. Even if Iowa has a really good offensive line, we see the defensive line dominate in any open practice that we get year after year after year. That's just a likelihood. I'm still a little bit more concerned about that offensive line, and that does scare me

about this season. Kade McNamara, if he goes down, season's not over, but we're in big trouble. We're in big, big trouble at the quarterback position. I don't think there is any doubt about that. Defense is going to be fine. Defense is going to be elite. Defense is going to be elite. That's what we're going to get there. Offense, wait and see.

And it's because of the offensive line. That's where I am here on August 14th. That'll do it for today. Back at it tomorrow on Locked On. Hawkeyes, a busy week. We got you covered. Your team every day on Locked On, Hawkeyes. We'll talk to you again tomorrow.

Go Hawks.