Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Football: Why the Hawkeyes Deserves a Higher Spot in the Coaches Poll

Starting point is 00:00:00 The preseason top 25 is out from the coaches poll and the Iowa Hawkeyes are ranked 25. Why the coaches got it wrong. Why the Hawkeyes should be ranked higher. Plus some camp tidbits all today. Lockdown Hawkeye. You are locked on Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey, welcome in.

Starting point is 00:00:35 I'm Trent Condon, and this is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every day. We're available wherever you find podcasts. You can also watch us on YouTube. While you're there, hit the subscribe button. Helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. If you're on the podcast side, audio only, five-star reviews. Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel.

Starting point is 00:00:54 Make every moment more. As the playoffs have finished up, sports just stop sporting like we want them to. But this summer, FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily. That's right. There's something for everyone every day all summer long. Visit FanDuel.com to get started. We get started today with the announcement yesterday. The new coaches poll is out for college football in 2024. The Iowa Hawkeyes are ranked once again,

Starting point is 00:01:21 but a little bit surprised of this one. And they're in there. I guess that's the start of things, right? Iowa is ranked in the top 25 once again, but a little bit surprised of this one. And they're in there. I guess that's the start of things, right? Iowa is ranked in the top 25. Once again, they get that preseason pub. And when we go back through the history books, that'll be a part of it. Maybe you're not a nerd like me and actually likes to do those kind of things. But when you go back and look at the preseason polls and see how much they match up to

Starting point is 00:01:40 what we get at the end of the season. So Iowa comes in at number 25 behind the likes of Kansas, USC, NC State, Arizona, Texas A&M. Those are teams 20 through 24 in front of the Hawkeyes. Those are all teams that I believe Iowa should be ranked ahead of each and every one of those teams. And the reasons I think are pretty immense here. When you look at this Iowa football team, you look at this Iowa football program and what they have been able to do and what they've been able to accomplish over the last half decade, doing it with very little semblance of a modern college football offense, doing it a way that is not sustainable and going out and making the necessary

Starting point is 00:02:22 changes to get to the point that they are. I believe going into this season. Look, the Iowa offense was dreadful. And the lines and the punchlines that were out there, they wrote themselves. Somebody came up with a shtick. Somebody came up with an idea. They had something hilarious to say about the Iowa offense. Look, I understand it.

Starting point is 00:02:39 You're national. You're just touching on things, those little beats, and that's what you're going to get out of this. However, this Iowa offense is going to be different this year i am drinking the kool-aid of tim lester and if you go back to the hire when it was made i was not a fan i was not a fan of him going back to his days going back to his days as a play caller at syracuse his days at purdue there were a lot of questions there as a head coach at Western Michigan, there were some good things. But on the surface, I wasn't enamored. But then I listened. And I listened and I also heard some things inside the program that this is going to be real change.

Starting point is 00:03:15 This is not lip service. This is not trying to put lipstick on a pig. This is not what this is. This is going to be real wholesale changes to this offense this year. And I know what many of you are saying. I'll believe it when I see it. And I completely understand that perspective because you have 26 years of history of Kirk Ferentz that says it's not going to change that much. I think you're going to be wrong. The last hires that were made at offensive coordinator when Ken O'Keefe departed to go to the NFL and coach with the Miami Dolphins, a lot of people were incredibly excited. And on the surface, I was right there with you.

Starting point is 00:03:51 But Kirk Ferentz brought in a guy that tried to marry a system that would never work with Iowa and Greg Davis. It didn't work. You could see from the beginning of the first game against Northern Illinois in Soldier Field that this thing was not going to work. His horizontal passing game coupled with the zone blocking scheme that Kirk Ferentz wanted to continue to implement, it didn't work out. And they made it okay by the end.

Starting point is 00:04:14 You go back to 2014, 2015, you saw an offense that made improvements, but it was never at the level that we hoped for when Ken O'Keefe departed. And then Brian Ferentz. And there were high moments, but there were many moments that were so much lower. And what we saw these last two years was just ungodly. It was incredibly difficult to watch. Look, if you were not a Hawkeye fan and you had to watch these,

Starting point is 00:04:36 you understand why the jokes come the way of the Hawkeyes, right? Because it was deplorable. It was hideous. You can't come up with enough adjectives to talk about just how awful it was to watch this offense over the last two and a half years. It's going to be different this year. It is. And that's why I believe the coaches have it wrong. I believe that Iowa at minimum should be a top 20 team. I think they should be a top 15 team this season. That's where

Starting point is 00:05:00 I am with them. And when I take off my black and gold glasses, which can be difficult to do at times, I completely understand that. I see a defense that is going to be elite once again. Are there a few concerns? We've talked about them here every day. As you know, my biggest concern defensively is the depth of that defensive line. What we're going to see on that front, who becomes the playmaker on the back end of the defense? Who's going to be the one that comes up and makes a big play? Is it Jamari Harris? Is it going to be Xavier Wampa at a healthy season in front of him? Who's going to be those guys that make those impactful plays? Yes, there are some question marks. The punting game is not going to be what it was the last couple of seasons. We're talking

Starting point is 00:05:35 about a true freshman coming in and taking over for a guy that was not just an All-American and an NFL draft pick in Torrey Taylor, but a guy that became a folk hero. To think that there isn't going to be some kind of drop-off there is just silly in its own right. So you have that component also happening here. Yes, there are concerns, but the defense as a whole is still going to be really, really good.

Starting point is 00:05:56 I think you're going to see a defense that has more opportunities to take the ball away. I think you're going to see that also coming up from this team this season. Can they get to the quarterback? We'll see. But the offense is going to be different also coming up from this team this season. Can they get to the quarterback? We'll see. But the offense is going to be different. The offensive line has been much maligned.

Starting point is 00:06:10 And we are going to talk a little bit later about something Bruce Feldman had his annual freaks list up on The Athletic. We're going to talk about that a little bit, Logan Jones and where he fits in there. I think it's incredibly important with this offensive line coming together and some good camp nuggets starting to come together. Number 25 in the coaches poll, it's too low. I believe Iowa

Starting point is 00:06:30 is going to be at minimum a 9-3 team this year. That is likely a top 20 team in the Power Big 10 this season and this 18 team conglomeration that we have coming up this season. 9-3 is going to have you a top 20 team. If we're talking about 10-2, again, we're getting into that conversation about the potential where the Iowa Hawkeyes are in the first ever 12-team college football playoff. It's not out of whack to think about this one. They miss.

Starting point is 00:06:57 The offense is going to be better. The defense is going to be elite. They have an opportunity. And the schedule sets up so well. Iowa is only going to be elite, they have an opportunity. And the schedule sets up so well. Iowa is only going to be an underdog, perhaps in one game this season. And you look at many of the power numbers that are out there in this season, it is just that.

Starting point is 00:07:14 Yes, they're going to be an underdog, and a decided underdog when they make their way out to Columbus and take on the Buckeyes. But you look at the other road tilts coming up this season, when they make their way up to Minnesota. I think Minnesota's going to have a down year with P.J. Fleck this year. A step back from what they've been. They still very well could be a bowl team, maybe 6-6.

Starting point is 00:07:32 I think Iowa's got something waiting for them after that debacle a year ago. At Michigan State, right now, you look at any power rating system out there, Iowa's favored that game, even in East Lansing. Same thing with the game at UCLA, at Maryland. Iowa is a favorite in all of these games, coupled with the home schedule. Iowa State, they're a slight favorite. Two and a half is currently the number at FanDuel.

Starting point is 00:07:53 Washington, Iowa's a favorite. In fact, they've taken on money, and Iowa's become a bigger favorite in those games of the year lines that have come out. Iowa's favorite against Northwestern, against Wisconsin. And at the end of the season against Nebraska, Iowa is favored in 11 of 12 games. Yet they're only 25th in the country in the Big Ten.

Starting point is 00:08:11 Something doesn't smell right. We continue here. Lockdown Hawkeyes mentioned Logan Jones making the freaks list. We'll talk about that and his potential on this Iowa offensive line. Plus some camp tidbits. A few news and notes that have made their way to my eardrums and we'll pass them along to yours as we continue. This is Lockdown Hawkeyes.

Starting point is 00:08:35 Today's episode of the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast is brought to you by FanDuel. Look, I love sports. I love them so much. I never want them to stop. But as the playoffs have finished up in basketball and hockey, we just get fewer games and the sports just don't sport like I want them to. But FanDuel, they're going to let me keep the sports going whenever I want throughout the summer. All I have to do is open up the app, dream up bets anytime that I'm in the mood. This summer,

Starting point is 00:09:01 FanDuel is hooking up all customers. That's right. New and existing customers with a boost or a bonus daily. That's right. There's something for everyone every day all summer long. So head on over to FanDuel.com and start making the most out of your summer. Maybe you're taking a look at Spencer Lee. His chances to win the gold medal coming up. In fact, we'll talk about that a little bit later on. Those odds are up at FanDuel.

Starting point is 00:09:23 They got you covered with a whole bunch of number of bets. Plus, if you're getting ready for college football season, they got you covered there. The Iowa Hawkeyes win total. The Iowa Hawkeyes to win the Big Ten. The Iowa Hawkeyes to make the college football playoff. You can bet on that and a whole lot more at FanDuel. FanDuel, official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball.

Starting point is 00:09:46 Trent Conant back with you once again here on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Appreciate each and every one of you out there for joining us here throughout the course of the summer as we continue to build our momentum towards the football season. Well, speaking of football season, it is getting closer and closer. And with it, one of the annual rights of summer is Bruce Feldman, one of my favorite writers over at The Athletic.

Starting point is 00:10:12 He puts out his annual list of the freaks, the freaks of college football. And with it, you get a list of guys that are physically ridiculous in the past. We've seen guys that have been listed here. Tyler Linderbaum, one of those guys, a former Iowa Hawkeye offensive lineman. But I'll be honest. I was shocked when the column came out earlier in the week that Logan Jones was ranked not just in his freaks list where

Starting point is 00:10:38 he has 40, 50 guys usually listed there, but he was at number nine. That was eye-opening. usually listed there. But he was at number nine. That was eye-opening. Logan Jones has been much maligned in his two years as a starter. And he was thrust into an incredibly, inevitably difficult situation, taking over for Tyler Lindelof.

Starting point is 00:10:54 First, you have an All-American center, a guy that was a stalwart, a guy that was a physical specimen, did some things as a center. You just don't see the physicality, the athleticism, the power, all the things that he was able to do on the football field that can't be replicated. Incredibly difficult, we should say, to replicate the things that we saw from Tyler Linderbaum. So you're taking over a guy that did those things.

Starting point is 00:11:18 You also throw into the fact that he was a defensive lineman. Now it goes hand in hand with what Linderbaum was before he moved over to the offensive side of the football. And I think a lot of people had the thought that Linderbaum, he hit the ground running. Were there some moments? Yeah. But overall, even in his first season as a center, Tyler Linderbaum was ridiculously good. That was not the case with Logan Jones. And he saw two years ago in his first year as a starter, you saw a lot of issues, snapping the football, delayed snaps, the ball getting out there. But the other thing that you did see from time to time with him two years ago was that athletic ability. And that's what this list is with Bruce Feldman and the

Starting point is 00:11:55 freaks list. It's talking about that athleticism. 6'3", 293 pounds. And he was also on the freaks list a year ago, hoping that maybe he was going to take a jump forward. Well, he has. And you look at some of the physical numbers that he puts out. How about this? Vertical leap as a nearly 300-pound guy of 36.5 inches. All right, that's pretty ridiculous. A year ago, squatted 695 pounds, a record for the Hawkeye program,

Starting point is 00:12:21 and the second heaviest hang clean at 470 pounds. The 10-yard split split 1.53. Another Iowa offensive line record. Pro agility time at 4.09. He is putting together some absolutely ridiculous numbers on the physical scale. And that's all well and good. We've known that Logan Jones physically is really, really good. But as a center.

Starting point is 00:12:43 As a football player, we haven't seen it at this level yet. If the light bulb comes on, if we have one of those great stories, look, if you've been listening and you're an everydayer here to Lockdown Hawkeyes, you know that I've been a big time proponent of having Tyler Ellsbury take over

Starting point is 00:13:00 at the center position for Logan Jones. When he has been in there, Ellsbury has just been more competent, I think more consistent, snap in and snap out than what we've seen out of Logan Jones. And with all those physical tools that Logan Jones has,

Starting point is 00:13:14 you wonder taking one option out there, snapping the football, if you take that away, what he could be as a guard. However, with that being said, it's not going to happen. Kirk Ferentz loves him. George Barnett loves him. There is not going to be a move at the center position. Logan Jones

Starting point is 00:13:29 is going to be the guy. Kirk Ferentz also had this to say in the article from Bruce Feldman. He's pretty exceptional. He's got great quickness. He's a really competitive guy. You'd think he was a high school wrestler. I'm not saying he's Linderbaum, but there are a lot of parallels. Similar explosiveness. He's notinderbaum, but there are a lot of parallels. Similar explosiveness, he's not there yet, but he's catching up. The maturity's really helped him. He's an exceptional kid, just so invested and developed into a really good leader.

Starting point is 00:13:54 These are great things to hear from Kirk Ferentz. And if it happens, for Logan Jones, this offensive line has an opportunity. Mason Richmond, is he a left tackle at the next level? He's not. But can he be, at minimum is he a left tackle at the next level? He's not. But can he be, at minimum, a solid left tackle in the Big Ten?

Starting point is 00:14:09 There's no doubt about it. We've seen the leap out of Connor Colby a year ago. Finally moving back inside, guard is the position that he needed to play, and we saw it. Jennings Dunker slimmed down this year after playing right tackle at nearly 350 pounds a year ago. A little bit more quickness along with the power that he has. He gets some excitement. And then what happens in that other spot? Bo Stevens was listed at the starter. He got DeYoung coming back for another season. Could

Starting point is 00:14:33 it be a Cade Pieper that comes in there? One thing that we do know, as long as this offensive line is healthy, something that certainly wasn't a season ago, if this offensive line is healthy this year, they have a chance to be much better than what we've seen over the last two years. And that is a godsend. We've seen this. If you watch Iowa football for any number of years, if you watch football for any level in college football, you see guys that make that leap their final year. And a lot of times if they played a bunch before that, you've already kind of had a set of thoughts about guys and what they're going to

Starting point is 00:15:05 be and what they already are those can change now one guy that i think about all the time when i think of the senior year your leaps is bradley fletcher who played now like going back almost 20 years ago man are we getting old or at least some of us are getting old bradley bradley fletcher though however when he started his career in the defensive backfield for the Hawkeyes, he was brutal. Didn't look like he knew his ass from his elbow. Yet, by the end, he became an all Big Ten player, a guy that you were comfortable, and whatever package and whatever they're doing on the back end, he was a playmaker, he was a physical player. He did everything that he didn't do at the beginning of his career.

Starting point is 00:15:43 And then he turned it into an NFL career, played with the Eagles and a couple other teams and put together a really nice NFL year. That's what you got out of him. Can we see this out of Logan Jones? We'll see. I'm hopeful. I really am.

Starting point is 00:15:57 A couple other tidbits coming out of camp. I want to start with a couple of things that I have heard, including the offense as a whole. And this is why I continue to be more and more enamored with this football team as we get closer and closer to the football season. Yes, it's the excitement of football. I get that. And it doesn't matter how low the expectations are. There's always a certain element of excitement that I think hits all of us at a certain time. However, I continue to hear good things about what is happening with

Starting point is 00:16:24 this offense and talking to a couple of players, one on the offensive side of the football, one on the defensive side and some of their families. One thing that is mentioned is this is unlike anything that they've seen at least recently as a Bertines to the offense against the defense. Now the number ones don't go up against the number ones very often. And you also have to remember that a lot of the veterans are going to get some limited playing time. When we're talking about real reps,

Starting point is 00:16:48 11 out 11 reps, those kinds of things, the hard hitting everybody going up against everybody. You're not seeing one's verse ones very often. You're seeing a lot of the veterans they're treating with kid gloves and they should, or the guy like Luke Lachey coming off an injury, the importance of a Jay Higgins or a Nick Jackson on the defensive side of the football.

Starting point is 00:17:06 Those guys, yes, are not getting the same reps, but we're still talking about a lot of times, eight, nine, sometimes 10 starters out there going up against each other. And when this is happening, and something you don't see very often with Iowa football over the last 26 years, is not only the offense holding their own.

Starting point is 00:17:21 And when that happens, you get excited. And there's been a few of those years where you see that during the spring game, when you see it during the August kids day, when you see those kinds of things happen and the offense is at least looking okay, you got good things happening with the offense, at least for Iowa standards. There's times where it surpassed that though.

Starting point is 00:17:40 And it's not just holding their own. It's not that they're going up and down the field and they're scoring whatever they want. You wouldn't expect that against the Iowa defense, but the Tim Lester offense is at least causing problems. Now, was it easy to know what Iowa was doing in the past? Yeah. I mean, I think we could all see what I was at least trying to do and not very effective doing it. However, this has a chance to be different. One of the reasons also has been some of the immersions that we've had. We talked last week on one of our preview episodes talking about the wide receiver crew

Starting point is 00:18:10 as the wide receivers are playing better. And Jarrett Bowie, the buzz is real. Bowie is going to be a guy that we're going to see out there a ton this year. He is listed as one of the three starters at the wide receiver position coming into the year. And it is real. They are really excited about his development and what he can do. Does he have the size on the outside to be an X guy?

Starting point is 00:18:30 We'll see about that with Caleb Brown, with Seth Anderson, the other two starters at the wide receiver position. You're not talking about the biggest guys out there. And maybe that's the role that Bowie is able to get. We'll see what they can do with that. But the excitement continues to happen. There's some buzz happening about the wide receivers just as a whole playing a lot better. And Bowie has been a big part of that. A couple other things that have been out there that have been

Starting point is 00:18:55 passed along. I mentioned the linebackers, Jackson and Jay Higgins, both those guys. These are veterans, right? But one interesting develop on that side of the football is one of the youngsters that we still continue to wait is Carson Shire. Now, know some people from Iowa Falls. They've been singing his praises since he was like 14 years old. Look out for this dude. And we're just waiting for him to be healthy, to put together that full healthy season. He's not going to unseat what we have with the starting linebacker group.

Starting point is 00:19:24 That's not going to happen. That's not realistic. That's not what we're going, but it looks like after seeing him a bunch on special teams and more healthy a year ago, it feels like it's all coming together for Shire coming up this season. And they're hopeful again, needs health on his side. If that happens though, you're talking about a guy that's going to be a dynamo on special teams, as he has been the chance. If an happens, that they will be feeling much better, certainly about what would happen at the linebacker spot. We continue here at Lockdown Hawkeyes, and we go to wrestling. Spencer Lee, his chances of getting a gold medal have increased.

Starting point is 00:20:00 We'll tell you why as we continue Lockdown Hawkeyes and the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Always want to thank you for makinged On Hawkeyes and the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Always want to thank you for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen of the day. Hey, for your second listen, enjoy the Locked On College Football podcast. Spencer McLaughlin gets you ready for an exciting season on the gridiron with discussion on the upcoming season

Starting point is 00:20:18 and the ever-changing landscape of college athletes, including conference realignment, the transfer portal, NIL, new college football, expanded playoffs, and a whole lot more. Locked On College Football is available on YouTube and wherever you get podcasts, all part of the Locked On Podcast Network,

Starting point is 00:20:35 your team every day. Back talking about Spencer Lee and his chances at gold as we continue Locked On Hawkeyes. Passion, drive, and patience. The formula for winning championship is also what keeps your ride or die alive. eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance. Superchargers, roof racks, exhaust kits, LED headlights, and more. Whether you're into speed, power, or style, eBay Motors has you covered.

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Starting point is 00:21:32 to U.S. customers. Trent Conant back with you one final time on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. As always, thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. So the opportunity for Spencer Lee to bring home gold in the Olympics got a little bit better as we await Spencer Lee making his debut on the mat. He got a huge step forward because the guy from Michigan, this is it, who is a world champion, had to scratch. Sustained a knee injury a couple of years back. Just reading through his press release that he put out is absolutely heartbreaking. And when you go through and you look at what these guys have to go through,

Starting point is 00:22:21 these ladies have to go through, and knowing something like this, that only happens over four years, right? You have that opportunity, and then for it to be dashed and taken away, it is just absolutely heartbreaking. It is one of those that you feel just so terrible for the guy. Coming up Thursday morning will be your first opportunity to see Spencer Lee. And now he has become one of the betting favorites, if not the betting favorite, at 57 kilograms to win Olympic gold. Now, I have a feeling a part of this is because, well, we're a little wrestling crazed here in the state of Iowa, right? And when the opening numbers came out, I saw the first number out at circa at plus 185. The yes, no, the yes, plus 185. The no at minus 160, I think was the number at that time.

Starting point is 00:23:09 I said to myself, they got this wrong, not because that's not what the true odds should be, but just because of what we obviously deal with and what we do in the state of Iowa and the amount of betting handle you're likely going to see. Same thing of FanDuel and the other sports books that are out there. And you've seen those odds increase even before the news of Cizek having to step away from Olympic competition. The opportunity is going to be real,

Starting point is 00:23:32 but it's not easy by any means. I mean, you were talking about putting together four matches, putting together matches a couple of times on Thursday. Coming back, you have the opportunities that are going to sit there. And basically over two days is where you're going to find it. Peacock is going to have the wrestling USA. Also we'll have a part of that CNBC, the NBC app all over the place. It can be difficult.

Starting point is 00:23:57 It can be frustrating, but if you're a wrestling fan, as I am looking forward to that, now, am I going to be up or wake up to watch Spencer Lee? We'll see. Maybe the kids will let me sleep in the next day. We'll be good to that. Now, am I going to be up or wake up to watch Spencer Lee? We'll see. Maybe the kids will let me sleep in the next day.

Starting point is 00:24:09 We'll be good to go. We'll see on that front if we can make that happen. And thanks to you for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. For your second listen, make sure you go check out the Lockdown College Football Podcast. From NIL deals to never-ending conference realignment rumors, Spencer McLaughlin gets you ready for an exciting season on the gridiron. You can find the link to lockdown college football in the description. So you don't need to search part of the lockdown podcast network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:24:36 We got more coming up for you this week on lockdown Hawkeyes. We'll be talking with Scott Dockerman from the athletic, getting ready for the season and his thoughts as we prepare for what should be a big 2024. Tom Kakert will also join us later in the week, and we will continue our position previews as we go through. Still have to talk about the running back position. What are those nuggets out there from that running back position and a potential change for one of the running backs at a position.

Starting point is 00:25:05 We'll talk about that a little bit later on this week. We got running backs to get into. We got to look at the defensive backfield. The specialists, our preview continues. The Iowa football conversation continues. And as anything comes across my ears, we'll pass them along to you with those camp nuggets. This is Lockdown Hawkeyes.

Starting point is 00:25:22 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: Why the Hawkeyes Deserves a Higher Spot in the Coaches Poll

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