Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Football potential changes, transfer portal needs

Episode Date: December 9, 2022

LeShun Daniels joins Trent Condon for the latest edition of the Locked on Hawkeyes Podcast.They talk about what went wrong and what it was like when LeShun played on the sidelines when a team was struggling like Iowa did against Nebraska.They talk about the transfer portal, a little Hawkeye basketball and more.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at Linkedin.com/lockedoncollege Terms and conditions apply.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” 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!SimpliSafeWith Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnCollege to learn more.Omaha SteaksOmaha Steaks is a gift from the heart – a gift that will be remembered with every unforgettable bite. Order with complete confidence today knowing you’re ordering the very best. Visit OmahaSteaks.com use promo code LOCKEDON at checkout to get that EXTRA $30 OFF your order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coming up today on Locked On Hawkeyes, Trent Condon and LaShawn Daniels back together. It's been a while. We talk Iowa football with you, getting ready for the bowl matchup against Kentucky in the Music City Bowl and the craziness that is the transfer portal. We'll talk about that. We'll take a look forward to the football program. And of course, a big win by basketball last night as Iowa gets it done over Iowa State without Chris Murray. All coming up today. I'm locked on Hawkeyes. Locked on Hawkeyes.

Your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. He's LaShawn Daniels. I'm Trent Condon. And this is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen each and every day. Available wherever you get podcasts. You can also see us on YouTube.

While you're there, hit that subscribe button. It helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. Today's episode is brought to you by BetOnline. BetOnline has you covered this season with more props, odds, and lines than ever before. BetOnline, where the game starts. LaShawn, what's happening? Man, we missed each other for a while here. There's been some changes since we talked last in the football program

What's up? Yeah, no, not much I mean, yeah, it's been a couple weeks now A lot of things have happened A bunch of craziness Both from the end of the season to now getting into the offseason In the transfer portal As well as bowl games.

So it's been a lot of wildness that's been going on excitement around everything that's happened, but still a wild nonetheless. I had no doubt about it. So yeah, we of course had the loss to Nebraska, the Black Friday loss as Iowa gets behind early in the game. Spencer Petras goes down, Alex Padilla tries to lead them back. And you know what? That overturn call when Ragagini made the play, was that who was up on the sideline? And they said incomplete. How can you overturn that? It might have been Arlen. It was Arlen.

It was Arlen, yeah. And how do you overturn that? But that aside, to get down in that fashion, it was so incredibly frustrating. And this is something you can speak very well to, obviously, as a former Hawkeye player. You know, the even-keeled nature of the program. Never get too high, never get too low. It leads to a lot of good moments. It leads to what Iowa was able to do, pulling themselves after the three consecutive losses out and win four straight.

But also, there's so much in that game. There's so much on the line. You can get back to Indianapolis. You can win a division title. You can do all these things. You can keep the thumb on your rival, Nebraska. All these things, and then to just come out flat. What is it as a player?

In the Iowa program, I think most everybody's played on a team, and yeah, there's going to be those days that you play, you come out flat. A lot of times there's not a whole lot for it. But just the nature of the Iowa program, what is that like when you had one of those games where you could tell from the get-go, boy, we're going to have to come up with something today because we, for whatever reason, just don't have it. Yeah, it's frustrating from everyone. I mean, coaches are upset. Players are upset. Everyone's trying to really kind of press to get some kind of momentum,

get things kind of going on your side and nothing's working. And you're really just kind of, you're searching for someone to make a play or for something good to happen. And it can be very, very frustrating as a team. And as you said, right, you try to stay as even keel as possible. And when you get in those moments and you get in those games, it can be tough to keep it that way. Because again, everyone's trying to press.

Everyone wants to make a play or the play that's going to be the game the game changer and then you know get some people kind of out of their jobs doing things that uh you're not focusing on the things that they need to be focusing on and trying to cover for other people and things like that and kind of saw it in the nebr in that first half. And it's part of the reason why I got down big so early. And I see, you know, we try to come back in that second half. But when you get down like that and you get away from doing the things that you do best, trying to make that up and come back from that is tough. Just trying to make that up and come back from that is tough.

Even if you're going against, you know, not a great Nebraska football team, it's still tough in Division I football, especially within your division and you're trying to win a division title. So, yeah, it's frustrating for everyone involved. Everyone gets upset. I mean, the conversations on the sideline in the locker room are definitely heightened quite a bit. And, yeah, I mean, people just try to press. And, you know, you get sometimes you just get those results that you have against Nebraska.

And there's not really too much you can really do about it. I see there's the coaches and stuff. They try to keep it, you know, as contained as possible. But sometimes, you know, everyone, people, there's individuals and everyone's different and teams react differently. And, you know, there's not really too much rhyme and reason for it. Let's take it to this level. So you're playing. Come out.

Don't play well in the first half. Kirk is a very stoic guy now we know he'll dress down officials we've seen that plenty on the sideline and and he might have a choice word or two I've heard plenty of uh my buddies that played in the program or people that have been around the program that say there's some language that flies around on the practice field and he'll let guys have it let's go inside the locker, the halftime locker room and the Black Friday game against Nebraska. What do you think it was like? Were there moments for you where it was the paint was peeling on the walls or is it again that same kind of nature? Yeah, he might holler a little bit,

but ultimately it's about kind of just keeping things even keel and see if we can go out there and work and clean a few things up uh so coach kirk ference is definitely the more even kill type person right he'll definitely he'll definitely uh ramp up the intensity um you know when we get in the locker room a little bit but a lot of times it came from the position coaches and the coordinators were the ones that really kind of laid into us at halftime. I mean, I think Coach Bryan's been a lot more chill now that he's been offensive coordinator kind of over the years. But when he was O-line coach, we got in that locker room and we were having essentially a half that Iowa had against Nebraska. Like, it would just rip into us. Like, everyone's quiet and he's just going off about this and that.

O-line needs to effing block. Rags need to hit the hole. All different types of things. So, yeah, so usually that type of commentary came from, you know, position coaches and the coordinators, not so much Coach Ferentz. And Coach Ferentz would still lay into us pretty good, you know, right before we go out at half. But, you know, right before we go at half, but, you know, really kind of focused on just getting our energy back up,

still in that confidence back in us, just like, Hey, it's our game. You just go out there, do what we do best and, you know, things take care of itself. So that's kind of usually how the locker room conversations went. And sometimes they helped, sometimes they didn't. I mean, yeah, I mean, I got plenty of stories about uh brian just going off in the locker room at halftime so well we'll save those for the summertime right when we're doing a little more content we'll we'll get into some of those

fun stories uh coming up here on the podcast coming up we're also going to talk about some changes inside the locker room as it pertains to personnel. Obviously, wide receiver remains a need position. Cade McNamara, the Iowa quarterback of the future, the former Michigan QB. He will be coming in next season. We'll talk about that. Get LaShawn's thoughts on the transfer portal, what's happening, NIL, and everything else. That's as we continue here on Lockdown Hawkeyes. Today's episode of the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast

is brought to you by BetOnline. BetOnline, a great resource for you sports gamblers out there, like myself, your number one source for sports betting information, stats, news, and analysis. You can get the latest odds and trends for every professional and amateur league out there. Football, basketball, soccer, we're down to the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

Esports, they got it all with BetOnline. And if you love sports podcasts, you'll find those as well on BetOnline. Always the fastest and easiest way to get your sports betting fix. Head to the website today or just hop on your phone, your tablet. You can learn more there. BetOnline, where the game starts. Trent Cotto, LaShawn Daniels back with you again here on Locked On Hawkeyes. Again, thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen each and every day. Continue to grow that

subscriber base on YouTube as we continue to push the numbers up there. A big thank you to everybody that has made that possible throughout the past few months here. As we put a cap on football season, there is still a bowl game in front of us. But, LaShawn, as you know, the big news right now, the big conversation is about what is going to make up of this roster being going forward. Cade McNamara, he'll be the new quarterback next year, coming off a knee surgery that he had. He will be the new quarterback next year coming off a knee surgery that he had. You hope that even if he's not ready to go for spring practice at minimum, that he's out there being able to go through summer workouts and working with guys, but he's out there recruiting right now.

Did you have a guy like that? I mean, was there a quarterback that was reaching out to you that was trying to get you to commit to Iowa or when you were looking at BC, you know, things like that, because you hear, commit to Iowa or when you were looking at BC, you know, things like that, because you hear, especially the way that just the structure is in college football at the high school level, guys, quarterbacks usually kind of are some of the first guys to commit. And then they become recruiters as well. Did you have any stories of that? Um, not of quarterbacks. Um, I'm trying to think i know like there was remember there was another running back when i was committed to bc uh like we were pretty tight uh with each other and um

obviously planning to go to bc at the time and um you know we talk all the time and um you know just kind of recruiting each other just makes you like, hey, like, what are you planning? Obviously, you know, you see you got other offers now and different things like that. And then, you know, when I got my offer to Iowa, I had taken an official visit when I took my official and then kind of connected with the guys, a bunch of guys that were on that official visit because it was a big official visit weekend because that year they didn't have a bowl game, so people had a lot of time that kind of all season after the season and kind of connected with a bunch of guys that were already committed to Iowa and a bunch of them kind of started forming those connections. Then just reaching out like hey you should come

here um uh and things like that so it was uh not as crazy um but uh you know you're still connected with a bunch of you know the recruits that are in your class um always kind of texting you you have your group chats and it's like hey like make sure you guys come here like we're planning on doing big things and um you know we can obviously be a change to the program and hopefully get to where they want to go so um not quite at the level that it's at right now but definitely some recruiting like within uh some of the commits and within that class so so right now you have Eric Gall. He was his tight end a year ago, McNamara's tight end a season ago.

He's with them on the official visit, so they're going through that. Saw everybody making their way to the basketball game last night, so you get to do that part of it. If it falls on a weekend where there's a big home game, you'll have that part in that component that goes into the recruiting visit. But need more than just a tight end, right? It's still about wide receivers here. You'll have that a part in that component that goes into the recruiting visit, but need more than just a tight end, right? It's still about wide receivers here.

If you got the call, Kirk, Brian says, Hey, we're looking at receivers. How many should we bring in? How many transfer wide receivers? Two, three, four. It's going to be an overhaul obviously of what they want. And I don't know. I understand you got scholarship limits LaShawn you can't just take as many guys as you want but I think I'm trying to more towards that

four number I just I would love to see an overhaul and even if you bring in guys that you think that you like you look at the kid from Hillsdale playing d2 football it worked out really well Van Valkenburg he had huge numbers we don't know for sure if that's going to translate Flipper Anderson's kid he's down there playing at charleston southern they're bringing him in and visit okay that's all well and good but you just don't know i'm more of the opinion it can't just be a couple guys we need to be looking at maybe four different guys being brought in just because that wide receiver group needs so much more help yeah um i am right there on board with you because i know we talked about uh earlier this year and we talked about the receiver room and it was looking like

it was like okay we have like what two scholarship guys that are uh suited up yeah like at one point like i mean that is ridiculous i mean like i guess like that's crazy to think about um and when you think about how big a college roster is i mean heck even nfl teams they'll dress like six receivers on the active roster and i mean we gotta you gotta have at least probably five kind of scholarship guys that are dressed up. And obviously, I know there's fantastic walk-ons in the Iowa football program and football programs around the country. And a bunch of times, yeah, those guys do end up being really, really good players. But having – it's never a bad thing to have more talented guys in a room. having, it's never a bad thing to have more talented guys in a room.

And being where Iowa was in the passing game last year, and you look at the receiver production from last year, and it's not like these guys aren't talented. I mean, Charlie Jones was in the room. I know everyone's sick of hearing about him, but, I mean, he went to, I mean, he went to Purdue and was, I think he's, what, leading, had the most receiving yards in Power Five this year, or he's top three or something like that. So, like, it's not like these guys aren't talented, but you got to get more of those guys in the room, building off each other, training off each other, getting each other better, because it's only going to make the offense that much better. So, yeah, you're right on point where it's got to be an entire overhaul of the room.

And I don't even know how many recruits, Robert Seward recruits, think we have in the class right now for 2023. I think it might be two, maybe. And most of the time, yeah, most of the time, the athletes that get recruited usually end up playing on the defensive side of the football. So you're not really expecting too much help from those guys so it's like hey it's got to be overhauled we got to just start i mean not saying just hey offering everyone right put their name in the transfer portal but still you got to give it a good shot you got to try to get as many of

those guys in as you can so yeah i yeah, I'm right there with you. Yeah, you got to build the numbers up. Well, it's funny you say that because, yeah, the game, I think it was a South Dakota State game where it was just Arlen and maybe one other scholarship guy that was even available for that game. You think about it. You at times are playing five wide receivers. At minimum, you're playing two. I know there's a few personnel groups where you just have one out there,

but two, three, four wide receiver looks, and you get two. I mean, think if Iowa only had two or three scholarship. Hold on. You sounded like a robot there for a a second what was that was that last part i think he's a he's a good player really good player um i see lost out to extremely talented quarterback over there at Michigan and McCarthy, who kind of, I guess, awesome guys. So, yeah, I think Cade McNamara is a really, really good football player. I know wins aren't a quarterback stat, but I know wins aren't a quarterback stat, but when you have a guy who can lead a team and keep the turnovers down to a

minimum and control the football and help move the offense and make plays, that's really what you're looking for. And I know Cade isn't necessarily coming to Iowa to be a game manager, right? He wants to be a game changer for the Iowa football program at the quarterback position. And I think he has that potential to be able to do that. Anytime you can help lead a team to a, to a college football playoff berth, you usually assume that that guy's probably pretty good. And I mean, it's not like his stats or anything just falls over either, right?

So he's probably going to be dealing with a little bit of less talent at the skill, at least at the wide receiver skill position than maybe what he's used to. But that's part of the reason why, again, you got to go out and get some of these transfer receivers and get some more scholarship guys in that room because the tight end room is pretty good. Running back room is pretty good right now. And he's going to have some weapons to deal with, to play with. So it's going to be exciting to see him get into this Iowa offense. And I'm excited to see kind of how the offense ends up changing with him at the helm.

And as an experienced quarterback who's made plays and won a lot of football games. So I'm really excited to see him, you know, get into the program, get chemistry with, with a bunch of the teammates and hopefully change the offense around come, come this upcoming fall. So I lost him again. I lost him again. I lost him again. I lost him again. So, yeah, guys. uh okay so hello everyone Trent's having issues on this end of the pod so I'm just going to try to wrap it up for for the end of us for for us today um

it up for the end of us, for us today. So, yeah, I mean, we got a bunch of guys coming in in official visits this week, and it's exciting to get some of those guys in and see what Iowa football is all about.

Obviously, when you bring in a guy like Cade, and you actually have guys like that at, at the quarterback position, do you just want to play with other dudes? Right. And when you, when you look at that and you see one of the biggest transfer portal quarterbacks come, come to your football program,

it definitely helps out a bunch with with getting talented people. And so I know that close fans and the staff are going to be working pretty hard to to really overhaul the offense because as they they like they're they're not blind they they have eyes they know they know exactly what is what was going wrong with the offense um obviously just keep it keep it really hush hush to the media and to the public because i mean as much as you guys want to have as much information as possible they really honestly probably just don't feel like giving all that out but they know they know the issues with the offense and um getting a quarterback in like that's going to be great um definitely making some moves on the offensive line is going to be great and that's something that's kind of understood that's been

understated as well. I think it started to gain a little bit more traction towards the end of the football season when, you know, we were winning games and the quarterbacks were still getting pressured quite a bit. They realized that, Hey, offensive line is going to be still a target of need right now. And as long as we're looking at some transfer offensive line guys and possibly getting Proctor in on the line would be great. And then I think there's another four-star recruit in the class,

which, again, is going to be very, very helpful for the Iowa football program to help build back up that offensive line to get back to what coach Ferentz and the staff envision their offensive line to be so uh I'm looking forward to the moves that the staff makes I know things have been quiet right now over the last uh week ever since really Kade committed um because we've had a bunch of guys that are, have entered the transfer portal and you know, it's sad to see those guys go, but again, that's the, that's the new way of college football now. So it's a little bit different. I have some opinions good, bad,

and indifferent about the transfer portal, but I do think it is a good thing that essentially guys get to really move around without a penalty to figure out their target destination and where they should be and have exactly the right fit for them instead of essentially being locked into a place over four or five years and just being unhappy. So so um with that said guys that's pretty much all i got uh i know that trent had all the i had the rest of the topics for today but i figured i'd just round us out with uh you know shout out to the basketball team keeping it at hawkeye state both the men's and women's did a great great job over the past couple nights and bringing it back in. That's pretty much all I got for you guys today.

Oh, here we go. The man I was just speaking on. Made it right back. I'm back. Can you hear me okay? It looks a little iffy when I'm looking at my connection speed here. Yeah. I mean, I can hear you good now

uh okay all right sounds sounds all right um i basically just talked more about the about the transfer portal and um yeah you know just kind of where i was as offense right now and talk a little bit kind of about the offensive line and possibly getting proctor i know he's gotten more offers and he's taken visits, but you know, I'm excited to see him. And then I think there's another four-star recruit that's coming offensive line and that's coming. So again, they're going to have potential to really overhaul this offense and we'll see,

we'll see what happens with it and where they go from there. So. Yeah, that's good stuff. Hey, LaShawn, really appreciate it. A quick thought on basketball. That was fun to watch last night too, huh? Yes. Yes. How about the Tony Perkins posters? Like I had looked at, like I had looked away for, for a little bit. And then literally like right when I turned it back on, he got the steel and the duck. I was like, Oh, like, let's go. Like I was pretty pumped about that so um

tony was too old saucy t he's got a little emotion out there i just love the guy he's hollering as he's running up the floor he's he's such a fun play to watch he really is and just show that emotion to do that without chris murray you know kind of that circle the wagon kind of moment we talked about that in the football side. Bray McCaffrey, credit to him and the program that he has built. 500th career victory last night, over half of them at the University of Iowa. He's done a great job of rebuilding that program and getting them back up to, you know, a nature where year in and year out, you know,

they're going to be an NCAA tournament team. They're going to be competing in the top half of the Big Ten. Yeah, well, we love to see a Sweet 16, a deep run in March. Absolutely, but if you keep getting there, it's going to eventually happen. A lot of fun to see, and four out of five against Iowa State. Yeah, that's not too bad either, right? Yeah, no, that's good. That's what you want. That's exactly what you want. I mean, anytime you get to beat that be your in-state rival it always feels good

um it always feels good and it's exciting and yeah and it was a great environment as well i mean again we had official visits there last night i mean they got to got to tune into a great game kind of uh see the hawkeye fans uh show up and show out for the basketball team. And yeah, the Iowa basketball team, they're pretty good. I think that right now they're obviously working on some consistency things. I mean, there's times where they look fantastic. And there's times where, you know, they don't look as good. But we're early in the year, early in the year. And if you can get into the dance, it gives yourself a shot.

So I'm excited to continue to watch them for the rest of the year. No doubt. Well, enjoy the weekend, LaShawn. We'll talk to you again next week. I I'm excited to continue to watch them for the rest of the year. No doubt. Well, enjoy the weekend, LaShawn. We'll talk to you again next week. I'll check on these gremlins here that got into my internet connection, and we'll be all good to go before next week. Appreciate it. Yep, appreciate it.

Go Hawks.