Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Football: Recruiting & true freshman that can play with Brian Smith, Hawkeye fan expectations
Episode Date: April 11, 2024On the latest Locked on Hawkeyes Podcast, Trent Condon is joined by Locked On's recruiting analyst Brian Smith. Some thoughts on the 4 Star running back Antwan Raymond visiting Iowa and what a good s...pring can mean for the offense. Then a look at the imcoming freshman class and some of the favorite prospects for Iowa football. Finally a look at expectation in the Iowa fanbase for men's basketball, women's basketball and football. Follow Trent Condon on X: https://twitter.com/trentcondon LISTEN TO THE PODCAST: APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-hawkeyes-daily-podcast-on-iowa-hawkeyes-football/id1441592240 SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0GTyz5ygevcGXdTF6QSoEo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnHawkeyes Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! LinkedInThese days every new potential hire can feel like a high stakes wager for your small business. That’s why LinkedIn Jobs helps find the right people for your team, faster and for free. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/lockedoncollege. Terms and conditions apply.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase.FanDuelFanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARENTEED That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – win or lose! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. eBay MotorsFrom brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keep your ride-or-die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it’s easy to bring home that big win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers.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)
Transcript
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Iowa has a four-star running back from Florida making his way to campus coming up this weekend.
We'll talk about football recruiting with our recruiting guru, Brian Smith.
I'll look back at the class of 2024.
What true freshman has the best chance of making an impact?
All 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.
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And we get started today with some football talk as we welcome in our recruiting guru, Brian Smith.
Brian, always good to catch up with you.
How are you today?
Doing well, sir.
It's going to be a busy day talking football, so I'm definitely in my element.
That's absolutely a good thing, no doubt about it. in our conversations in recruiting brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs.
All right, Brian, first things first, and coming up this weekend, there is going to be
pretty good recruit making its way to campus for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and Antoine Raymond,
a four-star running back from down in Florida, host of good offers, and that is your territory
where you're down there in Florida.
So tell us a little bit about what you know about Raymond,
what you've seen from him, and we'll get a little deeper into it.
But just him as a prospect.
He's a very unique situation.
He's from Canada.
He ends up at Clearwater Academy International.
I know their coach well, but they just recently disbanded the program. It's a
boarding school in Clearwater. I don't know where Antoine's going to go this next year. Kids are
scattering all over. Jesse is finding homes for these kids. But I saw him play against Lakeland
last year, which won state again, and they went into their house and beat him because of Antoine.
Like first play from scrimmage, he scored from like 80 yards. This is a defense that like
everybody's going to play some kind of college football.
Everybody can run, et cetera. And he was running away from them.
He's a kid that's got offers from all over the place. Compact, 190 plus pounds.
He looks like he's 20 years old in terms of his physical build.
And he's a guy that can play early. He's a kid that would fit Iowa's scheme to a tee.
And the zone defense or zone offensive concept that Iowa's traditionally known to run,
I know they run other stuff, but outside and inside zone, his vision will take over.
And he, quite honestly, would probably have a chance to get some early carries
if he ended up choosing the Hawkeyes.
Interesting, yeah.
And, you know, it's so crazy because the one position that I think Iowa maybe has its most depth is that running back position.
Five guys saw playing time a year ago, two more guys coming in this season, and then you throw
Raymond in the mix along with it. Do you know kind of who some of the other teams are,
are in his services right now, who I was kind of dealing with? I know he has
offers from Auburn and Miami and A&M and on and on and on.
So there's some big time names in there. Does he have any interest, any favorites, anything that
you've heard on that front? I haven't talked to him lately. And again, I don't know where he's
even going to high school this next year. His situation is very random. A bunch of his teammates
are going to the Baylor school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It's another boarding school, but
I know the head coach atami recruits everywhere mario
cristobal he just hired the running back coach from usf who was recruiting all the local kids
in the greater tampa area where he's been located that's a kid that they've been looking at it's a
possibility but beyond that i really don't know because he's got offers from all over the place
auburn is not likely barring something changing i cover them quite a bit. I don't think so, but he's a power five kid.
His visit list will circulate in the next couple weeks.
And as a general note right here, I might as well throw it out.
Between now and the end of April,
Hawkeye fans are going to see a lot of kids to note,
hey, I'm visiting Iowa this weekend or that weekend,
whatever for their official visit.
Right now is everything for the official visit.
So getting kids on campus unofficially, like Raymond, is pivotal.
You've got to do it as often as you can,
and especially for an out-of-state kid like him that's honestly not even from
America because he's from Canada originally, is important.
But that other thing there,
the weather is not going to hinder Iowa in this situation.
It's a little colder in Canada than it is in Iowa.
Yes.
And he's a great kid, very devoted to his craft. Good student, good kid.
So he'll fit in wherever he goes.
I saw that he's taking business to Rutgers.
Some of those, you know, kind of crystal balls, you know, over 24-7 and places like that.
A couple of them trend in that direction.
Rutgers and Syracuse, so two Northeast schools and a Canadian kid.
Maybe it makes sense. Family, you know, that kind of thing.
And not sure exactly where in Canada he's from, but potentially Iowa could be a fit on top of that as well.
Well, in general now, you mentioned the importance here.
And, you know, the interesting thing about Iowa football recruiting, and as we've talked here now over the last year plus a little bit about Iowa, they operate differently.
They operate in kind of a different level.
year plus a little bit about Iowa. They operate differently. They operate in kind of a different level. And really for the last three classes, they've basically been done right after their
big, their big tailgater in June, where they invite all the guys in kind of their top level
prospects. And after that weekend, hope to basically have their class finished up, maybe a
couple of, you know, extra scholarships or two and do it that way. Now, this is just an outside
perspective. I'm not in the recruiting space.
It does feel like Iowa's a little bit further behind
than they've been the last couple of years
and where it feels like, all right,
you feel like they're going to get one of these two defensive backs.
They're going to get one of these two running backs
and kind of things like that.
It does feel like they're a tick further behind.
Is it just the changing in recruiting in general,
or could it be the new offensive staff,
a new offensive coordinator? Maybe that's the thing that has them at least on the outside, looking like
they're a little bit further behind. I think it's the latter. A new staff means you've got to come
together on what your plan is. That's not always the quickest thing. And I'm sure fans don't like
to hear that because fans are never patient, but it's better to get the player that's going to fit
your scheme than just getting a commitment that's going to eventually hit the transfer portal.
So I understand to that point, I think as awkward as this may sound, it's better.
They don't have more commitments because I think they took too many kids in the last 10 years that were just mid-level players.
Like it's not going to push the program anywhere.
You're seven and five to nine and three.
You're a good team.
But are you ever really going to consistently compete with the upper echelon? If you miss,
you miss. Take a JUCO, take a transfer, whatever. But I was, as we know about as conservative a
program as there is, they don't like change very much. It's like a four letter word to the head
man, but you're not going to beat those teams. I mean, especially on their perimeter, got to get
better corners, et cetera. And we'll talk about one of those they got coming in this year that
I really like, but I think that I was kind of those they got coming in this year that I really like.
But I think that Iowa's kind of doing it the right way.
It's a little slower.
Like a lot of times Saban and his class,
they'd have like five commitments right now.
And Alabama fans would be all bitching.
The elite players don't normally decide early.
Even if they do, the commitment's a little flaky.
So Iowa needs to get the kids in their own backyard,
maybe get a kid from Kansas or Wisconsin, but it's okay.
They don't have a ton now.
These visits, they're lining up, seeing kids more, building relationships.
It'll help them get a great class and keep them in Iowa City after they sign.
All right, Brian, I got one more thing for you,
and we're going to talk about the class of 2024, the guys coming in,
and maybe who has a potential to help out in some certain way coming up this season.
But before that, we're through spring practice.
We're talking.
We're finally getting to hear from some of the players.
Women's basketball has dominated our conversations here for the last month and, well,
the last two seasons really plus overall and the high level that we've seen out of them.
But hearing from a couple of the players earlier this week on Tuesday, a lot of defensive players,
and they said that implementing the new offense, a lot of motion.
It seems like maybe even a hybrid of what Tim Lester did at Western Michigan with a lot of the RPO stuff.
But then a lot of things that he learned a season ago with the Green Bay Packers, you know, being there as an analyst,
a lot of those things and a ton of motion, pre-snap motion, something that is kind of foreign to Iowa football there.
When you hear something like that, does that give you any reason to say, hey, it's not going to be wide open.
They're not going to have 90 plays a game, that kind of thing.
But we are going to see some kind of evolution out of this Iowa offense.
I think they'll mix and match.
Certain teams, it's okay to still grind it out.
But if you're playing Ohio State, look, you're not going to just outscore Ohio State.
You've got to mix and match situationally throughout the game.
Being a one-trick pony does not work in today's era of college football.
Even Georgia gives up 35-plus points in a lot of their college football playoff games.
This just in, Georgia has more talent than anybody.
So you've got to be able to do that. And motion is a pain in the butt to install,
but the long-term benefits are there. You create mismatches, you get leverage, et cetera. And
those are how big plays happen. So there'll probably be some snafus this fall, but that'll
still translate to saying and recruiting, hey, this is how we can get to where we need to go.
This is what you can do to help us.
I don't think Iowa fans are going to mind that because it's not like they've turned the world on fire on the offensive side of the ball for any length of time here recently. But it's a direction that they're moving.
You know, that stuff takes time.
And it gets certain teams that are thin.
I bet you Iowa goes with a more faster pace to try to wear them out and take advantage of lack of depth.
They'll mix and match.
I mean, it's not like Kirk is dumb.
I mean, they're going to pick their spots.
So it's okay either way.
We're going to talk about the incoming freshman class.
And though there are a few guys already on campus, we're going to take a look at what
I was going to have and some of the favorite targets for Brian Smith coming in.
The true freshman this season, who has the best chance of play helping out this season.
We'll do that as we continue.
This is Locked on Hawkeyes.
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Back with you once again here on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast.
We're joined once again by Brian Smith, our recruiting guru.
And all our conversations are brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs.
All right, Brian, let's jump into this incoming freshman class
and start at the top.
Just talk a little
bit about some of your favorite prospects. You guys, Iowa has one of the highest number of
returning starters coming back this year, 19 returning starters. So the thought of,
hey, somebody's going to come in and they're going to be a starter day one, not very likely,
and it just doesn't happen very often in Iowa City. But some of the guys that you really like
out of this class. I think the easiest pick is Derek Weiskopf.
That kid's just a good football player.
I don't know exactly how big he is now, but just based on his film
and how he carries himself, I bet he's bigger than the 202 pounds
that 24-7 has him listed at.
And I bet he finds his way onto the field, special teams from game one on.
And by the end of the season, he's in the rotation at one of the linebacker spots.
He's just a football player.
I don't know what you think he'll do, but my guess is he'll be a weak side linebacker
and maybe eventually grow into a Mike.
But that's a kid that's going to lead Iowa in tackles at some point during his career.
I had somebody that coached against him the last couple of years over in eastern Iowa,
and they equated him to a Chad Greenway starter kid.
I'm like, oh, yeah, that'll work.
We'll take one of those.
We'll get him back.
Another one of those, that sounds pretty, pretty good if we get another Chad Greenway
making the way through.
You know, and it's crazy, too.
You look at the linebackers in this class.
Cam Buffington, another kid from a small school kid.
Weiskopf in there as well.
And they got three linebackers and a kid from Monticello-Reese.
These three kids are in a triangle around Iowa City within 50 miles.
That many high-level, I mean, all three of those kids can run,
and they're not your potentational small-town try-hard kid.
These guys have some athleticism to have those three kids
within walking distance of Iowa City, three in one class. It's just kind of one of those crazy happenstance circumstances you get
can't argue with it if you're a hawkeyes fan i know that i'm sure that the staff in iowa city
is pretty happy about it too um they went out of state for some of their other kids that i like
like joseph anderson i think he's a high upside kid. He's from Westminster Christian in St. Louis.
I'm not saying he's necessarily impact, but they'll find a way to use him.
He'll probably play four games in redshirt,
but that's a kid who's a redshirt freshman I think can play a lot.
You just don't find enough kids that are 6'4", 6'5",
that are still thin and you can build them out the way you want.
This kid has that ability.
And recruiting St.
Louis is a good idea too. That's a great city. And then finally, the kid that I like, because I just,
I know him from seeing him play and that's Rashard Godfrey. He's from Armwood High School,
just outside of Tampa. I think he can play corner or safety. He can really run and he's got the
ranginess and the long arms that you're looking for. I don't know what Iowa's DB depth chart is, but they don't get enough kids from four to play DB. I'll go out on that one.
You know, and Godfrey's a kid that comes from Armwood. That's been a very successful
stomping ground for Iowa. They brought in a lot of guys. Marty Spivey, I believe, is one of them
that came from that high school. A lot of defensive backs, in fact, come out of that
high school for Iowa. And I think maybe one of the former Hawkeyes is down there coaching. I don't know if it's at that school, but in that area. But that's been a place
that they've been very successful. Chris Breve was another one that came in and played late in his
career. So they've had a number of guys from that high school that have been very good. And I guess
all those trips down to the Outback Bowl in Tampa have helped out throughout the years.
I never really thought about that, but maybe that is part of it because it gets plenty of coverage.
I lived in Tampa, so maybe you're right.
You mentioned Joseph Anderson, and I'm right there with you.
The long arms that he has, just that athleticism.
He was a kid, all right, St. Louis kid.
I was been successful down there.
Adrian Claiborne, one of the biggest ones.
Marvin McNutt, a couple of the recent guys that they've had in over the last decade that have come in and been at a high level.
There's just something about watching this kid, though.
It felt like he was maybe going to be a Nebraska kid.
Maybe he was going to end up at Kansas or K-State.
Instead, he's going to be a Hawkeye.
And those are recruiting battles that it's important for Iowa to win.
You know, you talk about locking up home state, and that's always important.
But those regional ones, and maybe there's some more regional ties when you can pull a kid out of a Kansas City or a St. Louis,
go up to Minneapolis.
The importance of that for Iowa and the program sustainability going forward,
you can't just win with all Iowa kids.
And winning a recruiting battle like they did with Anderson,
a kid that's a really fun tape to watch,
a guy that feels like he's just scratching the surface,
hasn't played a ton of football to this point in his career,
should be a real good one for Iowa.
You know, with that, there is maybe potential for a kid to come in on that defensive line.
Defensive line looks to be good again this year, but a rotational piece,
you mentioned playing up to four games there. How, for a defensive lineman, is that a position where,
hey, we're going to teach you two moves, you're going to do this, maybe it's just,
you're coming in for pass rush situations and that it, is that something that can play, you know, for a true freshman?
Yeah. I mean, if you simplify, it makes it easier for them. The kids that usually struggle are
offensive linemen and quarterbacks, because there's no way you can only teach two moves.
Like quarterback is, is calculus. It's not algebra. So most freshmen quarterbacks are
just absolutely horrific if they're thrown into the fire.
But at the same time, that's why I didn't even think about Rezar because he's a quarterback that's not going to play anyway.
But if he had to, it wouldn't be that good.
Freshmen just aren't that good as their first year.
I think that you're talking about a pass rusher on third and sixth, something like that.
Why not?
I mean, I don't know how many guys that you would quote unquote trust that are coming back as pure edge rushers for iowa they always do a great job on that stat they've got one of the best defensive staffs in all of college football but at the same time i
just wonder if he's good early on if they just say to hell with the red shirt and just you know
if you earn it like yeah that because that means the kids probably not going to come back for a fifth year
anyway. You know what I mean?
They're going to take their chances and enter their name.
Even if it's a fourth round, fifth round grade,
you're still getting paid a lot of money. Kids leave now.
The days that just need to be a first or second round picker over,
he could leave after his third year if he's just pretty good.
They need NFL pass rushers about as much as anything.
And that's why they go high in the draft.
So don't be shocked at anything that happens with him,
but the upside long-term,
especially with Iowa's coaching is very high.
Benny Anderson,
former NFL player,
his dad,
a triple jump champion down in Missouri.
That one's a eye-opener for a guy that size already.
And obviously the athleticism that it takes for something like that.
Final thing for you,
Brian,
we'll get you out on this.
The transfer portal is going to be opening up here pretty soon.
A year ago, coming into last season, Iowa hit it very hard.
Eight guys came in.
Cade McNamara, of course, the quarterback coming in from Michigan.
Caleb Brown from Ohio State, a couple of the headliners.
This year, didn't have the wiggle room, just scholarships aren't there
because they brought so many six-year guys back.
They brought seven different guys back, of course, in the middle with Nick Jackson at the linebacker spot,
what they were able to do there, and on and on and on. Just so many of the defensive players
came back. They don't have a ton of scholarships, but they're going to be shopping definitely.
Backup quarterback is a position that's been talked about, but for a program like Iowa,
the importance of having a good spring, getting some of those good vibes coming out, and hey, maybe this offense is looking a little bit better,
those kind of things.
When the portal opens up, how important is kind of the discourse
of a new Iowa, if you will?
How important will that be for guys that are going to be making a decision
very quickly in the portal?
Well, I think if it's a one-year guy in particular,
especially if you're a defensive player that's fit in the niche,
I think that's a pretty easy sell. Offensively,
it depends on the position and get a little more specific, but they're changing it up.
They're going to throw it more, allegedly. They're going to be a little more aggressive,
allegedly. Maybe a fast receiver or something. I think there's certain
positions it just makes more sense. Linebacker
and some other guys,
they're pretty loaded. You know what I mean? It's going to be hard. So everybody looks at
playing time and then you get into the point of, well, I would take a kid that's like a sophomore
this next fall, or are they looking for more just one year, trying to hit the home run with a guy
and get into a 10 win season again. I mean, they were good last year on deep, but they'd have been
anything on offense. They could have competed with anybody they played with.
So they just need a couple of pieces.
I think they'll be really picky, but it's more attractive now.
They're not getting as much negative press, et cetera.
It's just true.
They should have an easier time of it overall.
No doubt.
Brian Smith joining us here, our recruiting guru with Locked On.
It's brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs.
Brian, always appreciate the conversation.
Portal is going to be opening up.
We got some more visits that are going to be coming up here in the coming weeks, and
we'll talk to you again real soon.
Thanks for the time today, Brian.
Thank you, sir.
Appreciate it.
Brian Smith joining us here today.
Always fun.
A conversation with him brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs.
As we continue here, Locked On Hawkeyes, expectations for Hawkeyes sports.
We mentioned Iowa baseball yesterday as we were recording.
They were in some trouble against St. Thomas.
They came roaring back.
What should the expectation level be for Iowa athletics?
Each sport is different.
Each is individually important in different ways.
We'll talk about that and what your expectations are.
We'll do that as we continue.
This is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast.
expectations are. We'll do that as we continue. This is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast.
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Trent Connick back with you one final time on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast.
Thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every day. All right, talking about expectations.
And I know we all have varying degrees of expectations.
What we expect out of our programs, the teams that we root for.
We have just been put on an incredible wild ride from the Iowa women's basketball team
over the last two seasons.
And what your expectations now going forward.
You look at the state of the athletic department as a whole. Financially,
in incredibly good shape and getting better with the new TV deal that kicks in from the Big Ten
this past season, throughout the course of this school year, and what it's going to be going
forward. You couple that with what the Big Ten is looking at and what just the University of
Iowa in general is there. But there is one part of this that has changed, and that is as it pertains to
the world of recruiting and NIL. And though NIL, name, image, and likeness is one avenue that many
people, myself included, believe should have been a part of college athletics for a very long time,
it has certainly evolved and probably gone to a different level than most anybody could have
anticipated. Look,
you look overall at the state of college athletics and it's going to change and it's going to
continue to be different. And the talk of creating a super league or do we see the SEC and the Big
Ten morph off into their own type of league, at least football only. And that's the direction
it's going to go. And there's a lot of big picture questions about what college athletics is going to look like going forward.
But ultimately, it comes down to an arms race.
It is pay for play.
And that's what it has turned into.
The NCAA has done a terrible job of putting this in a situation that is manageable.
Eventually, I believe it's going to come back in-house and the athletic departments are
going to control those kind of funds and what it looks like paying players.
There are a whole set of hurdles, though, to get by before we get to that point.
Eventually, though, we will get there.
That is what it's going to look like.
And with your expectations for Iowa, and you've heard it, I've heard it, the frustration of
what's happening on the men's basketball side.
After a disappointing year for the first time in six seasons, Iowa failing to qualify
for the NCAA tournament, or in 2020, they would have been a tournament team.
And what are they going to do?
And you look around the portal, not a whole lot of activity, it feels like, from the outside
looking in.
There just isn't a whole lot of buzz about some high-level prospects that they're bringing
in.
Well, it comes down to one thing, and the answer to all your questions is money.
And Iowa for men's basketball doesn't
have the money to compete. Certainly not with a bearing about a $5 million roster that they're
able to put together on a yearly basis, but even a step up from that and competing with programs at
your same level, programs in the area in the Big Ten. Illinois, better equipped for basketball.
Michigan State, better equipped and on and on and on. And how Iowa gets there, it's as simple as that. Now, you do wonder,
with this new environment, what is the expectation for men's basketball? We all want to see a sweet
16. And some year it's going to happen, hopefully soon, but it's going to happen at some point.
But what is it going to take to get there? Is it a lucky draw?
Is it more funds?
Is it more players?
Is it as simple as that?
Frank McCaffrey is a good coach.
He has not endured himself anymore lately to the fan base, and that has led to the problems that we've seen attendance-wise.
But what's a realistic expectation for men's basketball?
Well, I think kind of where they are.
This is where the program was for a very long time.
And all the thoughts of Lute Olsen in a Final Four in 1980,
well, A, that was a million years ago.
But secondly, it was a completely different environment
of college basketball.
And it was one time.
It was one time that they were able to get to a Final Four.
Dr. Tom, oh, Sweet 16.
It was Sweet 16 after a decade of frustration
and just what this program's been
over the last 11 years under Fran McCaffrey.
Expectations at times seem a little bit out of whack.
I wonder on the women's side,
what expectations are going to look like now going forward
because it's going to be a rebuilding year next year.
Of course, the loss of Kaitlyn Clark,
but Gabby Marshall and Kate Martin moving on,
it is going to be a completely different look.
And depending on what they're able to do in the transfer portal,
there could be some real growing pains next season.
I'm incredibly excited about what Sidney and Fulcher can be.
I think that Hannah Stolke has an opportunity to become a star in the Big Ten.
You have that angle, but there needs to be more that goes into that.
And next year, you know, if they're an NCAA tournament team,
they qualify, say they're a 6 or 7 seed, you know, fringe top 25 team next season, are the fan expectations going to be
so out of whack that people are going to be frustrated and upset? And it's okay to be
frustrated and upset, but just set your range. And then we finally get to Iowa football and what
your expectations are, because my expectations for this team this season are very high. I think
this team has a chance to win double-digit games.
I think they can be 10-2 this season.
The defense is obviously in place.
Need to find a little more depth on the defensive line position.
Maybe a guy that can get to the quarterback.
Is that Brian Allen?
But that aside, this team's going to be great there,
and I think we're going to see some major improvements on the offensive side.
Cade McNamara has to be healthy, but expectations are a dangerous thing.
And overall, when Iowa has big expectations in football,
they haven't delivered at the way that we hope.
Let's hope this year is a little bit different.
Tomorrow, Lockdown Hawkeyes, it is a birthday edition.
I'm going to give you some of my birthday wishes.
As I get ready for my 44th birthday,
what my birthday wishes are going to ready for my 44th birthday.
What my birthday wishes are going to be for Hawkeye Athletics.
We'll do that.
We'll get ready for the weekend.
Iowa baseball, Iowa softball, a lot going on there. Of course, we talked a little bit recruiting there with Antoine Raymond coming in.
What the calendar is going to look like as it pertains to guys coming in for official
visits on the football side.
A lot going on.
On Thursday, there was a media opportunity and some things coming out of that as well
on the Hawkeye front.
Plenty of Hawkeye football coming up for you on tomorrow's program.
Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day.
We'll talk to you again tomorrow.
Go Hawks!