Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Hawkeyes targeting transfer portal DBs while preparing for Citrus Bowl vs Kentucky

Episode Date: December 28, 2021

The Iowa Hawkeyes have a huge game ahead of them vs the Kentucky Wildcats in the Citrus Bowl. We begin previewing what to expect from Mark Stoops and his Wildcat squad before diving into interesting transfer portal activity from Iowa football recruiting director Tyler Barnes. Barnes has followed several defensive back transfers who could not only provide depth but make an instant impact with this Hawkeye squad. We break down who those targets are and what this means for the secondary moving forward.We also dive into the news that the Iowa women's basketball team's upcoming game versus Penn State was canceled due to Covid issues. What does this mean for the women and how could the pandemic impact both the men's and women's basketball seasons? We break it all down for you right here.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.NetSuiteOver twenty-seven thousand businesses already use NetSuite and RIGHT NOW through the end of the year NetSuite is offering a one-of-a-kind financing program to those ready to upgrade at NetSuite.com/LOCKEDONNCAA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome back, Hawkeye Nation, to a Tuesday morning episode of the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast, your daily podcast covering your Iowa Hawkeyes on the Lockdown Podcast Network. As always, I am your host, Andrew Wade, and we've got another exciting episode for you today. We have a lot of things to talk about. First, Iowa is targeting a few defensive backs in the transfer portal. What does that mean, and why are they doing that?

We're going to talk about that. We also talk about COVID. It is the thing that we try to not talk about as much as we can here on the show. The COVID has impacted the Iowa women's basketball schedule, and we're going to talk about how things are possibly changing going forward with the NCAA basketball season. And then finally, we're going to give you a little bit of a preview of Kentucky. As you know, we play Kentucky later this week on Saturday.

We're going to start our preview of Kentucky today for this week. Before we get to that, though, I want to thank you all for making the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast your first listen every single day. You can find the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast for free wherever you get podcasts at and also on YouTube by searching Locked On Hawkeyes. And today's episode is brought to you by Sonos. Sonos is the official sponsor of ESPN College Football. Go to Sonos.com to learn more. So again, let's get into it though. COVID has impacted this basketball season.

Iowa is targeting several defensive backs. Let's actually kick it off with the COVID stuff. The women's basketball game versus Penn State has been canceled. By all things I can tell, it looks like Penn State forfeited this game, which gives Iowa the win. That is the way the Big Ten is going to play out the COVID season. There's a couple of really interesting things about this though. There's a good and there's a mostly bad. For the Iowa women's basketball team, they are in a position where people expect them to be good. So when you look at the NCAA tournament and the resume you're providing for that, it is going to be really interesting to see how they accommodate forfeit wins and forfeit losses? Does it even matter in your schedule? And at that point, depending on how many games are forfeited, how many games are canceled,

what really do you have to go off of except for preseason expectations, which is how the women's basketball squad gets a bit of help there. The men's basketball squad, on the other hand, it's really important they get to play all of these games. They have a tough schedule. They need to do well in that tough schedule, but they are not a guaranteed gimme shoe-in like the women's basketball team just based off of expectations going into the season. So it'll be really interesting to see how the forfeit wins, forfeit losses impact both these teams and the tournament resumes going into these games or going into the NCAA tournament.

For the women's basketball squad, it really hurts them, though. Their whole entire offense is predicated off reading and reacting, working with each other in game time situations. They are not getting those game time situations to build and continue to grow that chemistry. Since the first COVID shutdown, they've really struggled. They have not looked the same. They haven't gotten their shot back.

Now they have another COVID shutdown due to teams being unable to play them. This is not ideal going into very tough conference play. How do they handle it? That remains to be seen. The other question I have in regards to COVID shutdowns is the bowl season. Bowls are getting shut down left and right. Teams are unable to make these bowls. So will Iowa get a bowl game or not?

By all accounts, it sounds like we're going to get a bowl game on Saturday. Kentucky is doing well. Iowa is doing well from a COVID perspective. It would be really unfortunate to not get an Iowa bowl game for a second consecutive season due to COVID issues within one of the programs. Now what I would say is Mark Stoops works with a lot of integrity. So does Kirk Ferentz. They want to play this game. They are not going to wait until the last second. They are not going to pull a Michigan

or a Missouri and all of a sudden be like, oops, can't second. They're not going to pull a Michigan or a Missouri and all of a sudden be like, oops, can't play. They want to play this game. So it's really interesting. I thought after last season, we were kind of past that. We started off this season really well on the NCAA football side and the NFL side, and now we're seeing hundreds of people in the NFL go on the COVID list.

We're seeing NCAA teams drop out like flies for football. Basketball teams are getting ravaged. The NBA is playing with essentially replacement players at times. Now I'm not going to get into the semantics and the thought process and my opinions on COVID. I'm just trying to give you the news about how this impacts these teams. The women's basketball team, it hurts them from a chemistry perspective. It doesn't hurt them from an NCAA tournament perspective. The men's basketball team,

they need all these games. They need these opportunities to get wins. While they are getting some votes for the top 25, and they are at this point considered in for the NCAA tournament, you want to make that a certainty, not a question mark. And how is the NCAA going to handle the tournament anyways? It feels like they're going to need to kind of go back to the bubble that they had, which stinks for those players. It's not exactly the best for all the fans, right?

But they're going to need to go back to a bubble-like setting for this tournament if the pandemic continues and rules and regulations are not changed or, or re you know, re-identified for, for the NCAA. Now I saw the AP came out and said the CDC did loosen up the regulations a little bit. So we could see some changes to the rules for the big 10 and across the NCAA when it comes to cancellations, forfeits, reschedulings, and what players are deemed out and not out. So that'll be really interesting to see how that all plays out. But it is a developing situation. As we get more information, we'll make sure to cover it. Coming up, we are going to talk a little bit about the Iowa versus Kentucky game. Then we'll get into defensive backs. I know I'm

switching it around on you, but coming up, we will get to Iowa versus Kentucky and what to expect from the Kentucky Wildcats. Should be a lot of fun. Stay tuned for that. And again, I want to thank you all for making the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast your first listen every single day. Make sure to check out the Ultimate College Football Playoff Preview 2021. Local experts, betting advice, and draft analysis. The most comprehensive college football playoff preview begins is live now.

So check it out. It's great, great content. I absolutely love it. And as we talk about the ultimate college football playoff preview, it's important that we start talking about Iowa's upcoming game, the Citrus Bowl, this Saturday. They take on a 9-3 Kentucky team that has one of the best offenses in the nation, led by two former Big Ten players, Penn State backup quarterback Will Levis

and former do-it-all running back wide receiver, you name it, Wondell Robinson from Nebraska. So what do we need to be aware of going into this Kentucky game? I'm just going to give you some information about what Kentucky does. Will Levis, we've seen Will Levis play. He's a scrambling quarterback, a guy who likes to take off and run with the football. He can be dangerous with his legs, but he is not a world-class quarterback still. On the season, 23 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 14 big-time throws, 10 turnover-worthy plays.

So there's a lot of opportunities there for the Hawks. And whereas offensive line does, for the most part, do a pretty good job in pass blocking, because of Will Levis and his willingness to scramble, move around in the pocket, he forces some sacks on himself by accident. But again, I mentioned the fact that he's willing to get out of the pocket. He'll do it between three to four times a game. He'll get out of the pocket. He'll do it between three to four times a game. He'll get out of the pocket.

He'll scramble for a first down. And that's something you need to be aware of. From a passing perspective, he's rarely targeting the boundaries. 65% of his yardage is between the hash marks. Now that can change. We've seen game plans change quite a bit, but there seems to almost be a conscious decision to not go for the boundaries. What that allows for Iowa, their defensive backs use the sideline to your advantage, push guys towards the sideline, cover the inside. It allows them a slightly easier job.

And especially when you're in zone, it allows you to do an easier job there. What I thought was interesting is that with a guy like Wandel Robinson, he's a guy you just want to get the ball in his hands, right? You want to let him make plays. Yet Will Levis' average depth of target is 9.5 yards, which is pretty darn impressive. Now, again, going back to Wandel Robinson, he is a big-time player, a guy who can beat man and can beat zone.

The number two ranked receiver, according to PFF, and beating man coverage with more than 25 targets, and the number 16 player, according to PFF, and beating zone coverage with more than 25 targets. So really impressive all around from this wide receiver. And he has nearly half of Will Levis' passing yards. He has 1,172 yards. Will Levis has 2,400, 2,500 yards throwing.

He has 128 targets, I believe. It might be 120, 128. But the next closest guy is Josh Ali with 60 targets. So Wando Robinson is a huge piece of this offense. Chris Rodriguez, the running back, is also a huge piece, but has some opportunities to make some mistakes. He has six fumbles on the season. So again, we talked about what Kentucky can do offensively. They high-powered. They are explosive. Negatives, they do have a lot of turnovers. Iowa can force a lot of turnovers from this Kentucky football team.

Not just in the passing game, but also in the rushing attack as well. 13 total fumbles for this Kentucky football team. Six from their starting running back. Think about what I was talking about with Ivory Cudmart. He's fumbled three times this season, I believe, and I don't want him to play. Chris Rodriguez has fumbled six times. He's still the starting guy. This rushing attack for Kentucky, it's a very balanced offense, I might add, from a passing

and a rushing attack perspective. This rushing attack, though, overall is averaging 6.1 yards per attempt for an overall total of 2,609 yards rushing. And they love the edges. That's what you see with a speed team. And don't get me wrong, this is a speed team. This is a team that Iowa really hasn't faced a ton. Honestly, probably the closest team to them is Nebraska.

Nebraska is kind of a poor man's version of this, at least the offense that Nebraska ran against Iowa. Kentucky, though, able to get to the edge. They have a running quarterback, a guy who is able to get out of the pocket, can make mistakes. They have a solid wide receiver, a very good wide receiver, Wando Robinson. So there's a lot of interesting things there. For Iowa, what they need to do defensively is stay home and break down, because this rushing attack is very elusive.

92 missed tackles forced. 3.42 yards after contact. This is a rushing attack that is able to make defenses miss, is able to make defenses pay for not being in position. And we've seen Iowa struggle at times, like the Minnesota game, of breaking down and getting those tackles and stopping these plays before they get going. Blocking-wise, we talked about it. Will Levis, there's a lot of sacks he's allowed because of himself and putting himself in a bad position.

But there's two weak spots on this offensive line from a pass-blocking perspective. Interior guard David Cox has a 56.5 pass blocking grade, has allowed 18 pressures. Dave Rosenthal, a 69.3 pass blocking grade, has allowed 19 pressures. So there's some opportunities at the interior guard spot and at the tackle spot for Iowa to kind of go home and get Will Levis. But the biggest thing they're going to need to do, a Zach from Valkenburg, a Joe Evans, right, a John Wagner, they're going to need to make sure they don't allow Will Levis, but the biggest thing they're going to need to do, a Zach from Valkenburg, a Joe Evans, a John Wagner,

they're going to need to make sure they don't allow Will Levis to escape them. Again, breaking down, not allowing Will Levis to break those tackles. Defensively, this team is going to be really interesting and a tough sell for Iowa. They have a very good defensive line, starting with Josh Pascal, who has 38 pressures and 6 sacks. J.J. Weaver has 23 pressures and seven sacks. Overall, their team has 167 pressures. That is truly impressive, especially going up against some of that SEC competition, 30 sacks. This offensive line for Iowa is going to have a very tough time. I expect to see a rotation, as there will

inevitably be a couple guys who struggle. Iowa even kind of compared them a little bit to Michigan. Again, Iowa is going to need to have a very good pass blocking game to be able to get anything going against this team because there are opportunities in the passing game. The secondary is not really one to write home about. Their cornerbacks have a 57.7, a 76.2, and a 60 coverage grade between their three starting corners. They're not a great tackling secondary, a lot of missed tackles, a poor tackling percentage rate, and there's a lot of deep shots that have been taken and made successfully and converted successfully against the secondary. So the deep shots are available.

Iowa does need to take those shots. They've only forced six interceptions. So while the defensive line can get to the quarterback with relative ease, if Iowa can just get either Spencer Petras or Alex Padilla a little bit of time, there are opportunities in this passing game for Iowa to take advantage of a Kentucky team. Speaking of the passing game coming up, we're going to talk a little bit about defensive backs. Iowa seems to be targeting a few defensive backs. We're going to cover that all in a few short moments. I do want to remind you that betonline.ag has you covered this entire

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BetOnline.ag is the fastest and the easiest way to bet on all your favorite sports, so don't wait to take advantage of all the amazing offers available today. BetOnline.ag, where the game starts. All right, y'all, we talked a little bit about COVID and how that's impacting both basketball seasons and Iowa football season. We talked a little bit about Iowa versus Kentucky, talking to you about what does Kentucky bring to the table. A very strong team, 9-3 Kentucky, going to be a really good game this Saturday.

Now we're going to kind of go into the future for the Iowa football team. And the future is, we don't know for the secondary. Riley Moss, as we talked about yesterday, seems to be leaning towards the NFL. Jack Kerner, I would assume, is going to the NFL. Matt Hankins has to leave and go to the NFL, which potentially leaves three starting spots for the Iowa secondary. Now, I feel pretty good with who we have to step into those roles, right? Right now, in my mind, it would be Dane Belton in the cash position, potentially safety with Cava Marriott weather sliding over.

We have Quinn Schulte, who's done pretty well, or Sebastian Castro. We have Jamari Harris and Terry Roberts on the corner, on the edges, or the outside. That's not factoring in Iowa bringing in X or three other defensive backs in this class. It doesn't factor in younger guys who could step up, an A.J. Lawson or a Brendan Dees-Fernandez, cornerbacks who could play pretty well and have a lot of high hopes for them. At the safety spot, you still have a Dallas Cradith who is very highly touted coming out of high school. You have a Reggie Bracey.

You have a Cooper DeJean. So there's a lot of talent in the secondary. So it was a little bit shocking to see Iowa very hot in the transfer portal looking for a defensive back. Now, this doesn't mean they are trying to find a defensive back who is going to start this year. If they do, fantastic. If they don't, they're not worried about that. Look at what happened last year with Xavier Williams, a guy who Iowa wanted as a walk-on coming out of the eastern part of Iowa. He chose to go to northern Iowa for a full ride. Has the opportunity to play in the NFL and didn't start

hardly played for the Iowa Hawkeyes this past season. Just because Iowa is targeting secondaries or secondary members in the transfer portal does not mean they don't believe in their guys. It means they want to have an additional level of depth. And when you look at this past year's team, the fact that they started their fourth-string cornerback is telling you something. Riley Moss had time with injuries.

Matt Hankins had time with injuries. Terry Roberts had time with injuries. Fortunately, it was not all three of them at the same time, but that kind of vaulted Jamari Harris into playing time. That's why I was looking for secondary depth. And there's a couple guys. You've got to read the tea leaves. We haven't seen an official offer necessarily,

but Iowa and our recruiting coordinator. Wow, why am I struggling with this right now? Barnes. Oh, my gosh. Let me see real quick. It is Tyler Barnes. Oh, my gosh. Sorry, y'all.

Just drew a complete blank there. I'm recording this in the morning. Couldn't think Tyler Barnes. Tyler Barnes, you can kind of read the tea leaves for what Tyler Barnes is doing, where he's looking at when he follows transfer portal targets. So there's four guys that Tyler Barnes is looking at right now, that I was looking at. Toledo defensive back Justin Clark, Colorado defensive back Chris Gonzalez, Jeremiah Lewis defensive back out of Duke, Gabe Judy, defensive back out of Vanderbilt. Let me tell you a quick few things about these guys.

Justin Clark, 227 snaps this past season. Had a 71.6 coverage grade. A 90.7 tackling grade. So a very sure tackler. Allowed 19 receptions on 30 targets for a 63.3% completion percentage for only 234 yards. One interception, no touchdowns, two pass breakups. Colorado's Chris Gonzalez, arguably the most playing time this past season.

A 72.4 coverage grade, 445 coverage snaps. Very impressive. 6'2", 200 pounds. As we've seen with some of these Iowa defensive backs, they're liking some bigger guys in this zone. So kind of fits the scheme a little bit more as well. Has allowed 30 receptions on 55 targets for 320 yards, a 54.5% completion percentage.

Zero interceptions, three touchdowns, four pass breakups allowed, and a 64.1 tackling. He's not a sure-handed tackler as Justin Clark. Jeremiah Lewis from Duke, 6'1", 190-pound defensive back, a 67.3 coverage grade, a 32.7 tackling grade, so very dismal tackling abilities. Played in 263 coverage snaps, allowed a 51.4% completion percentage for 361 yards,

four TDs allowed, and two interceptions. And then finally, Gabe Judy, the defensive back out of Vanderbilt, 6'1", 186 pounds, a 64.3 coverage grade, a 68.7 tackling grade, and 320 coverage snaps, allowed a 64.1% completion percentage and 251 yards, three TDs allowed, only one interception, one pass breakup, and six penalties. yards, three TDs allowed, only one interception, one pass breakup, and six penalties. I have not watched the film on every single one of these guys, but statistically speaking, I would really like to see Iowa target Chris Gonzalez, a guy who does have a high level of experience, a lot of experience in a big-time conference with a good productive record there. I think Justin Clark would be an interesting addition,

but he doesn't have a lot of eligibility left, so that's kind of interesting. But to me, Chris Gonzalez is kind of the guy to go for. But as I talked about, again, this is really coming down to the fact that Iowa wants to have a lot of depth at this defensive back spot. Now, if they are able to find a guy who does start, fantastic. That's even better. But Iowa is not looking necessarily for a starter.

They are looking for depth. They are looking for a guy to fill in for this Hawkeye secondary. This doesn't impact Cooper to Gene or X a lot. Those guys, both very talented guys, both going to get in at the same time, if not early. Cooper's already there, but X could get in probably before one of these defensive backs gets in. It's going to be in the system.

So it doesn't really impact them a ton. And as we've seen, Iowa's not going to take a transfer and say you're automatically starting because you're a transfer. But it is interesting that Iowa is targeting defensive backs. I really thought they'd be looking at the offensive line, which they have, and the defensive line, which they also have. but defensive backs is not an area I expected, but nevertheless, here we are. As we get more information about who Iowa's targeting more specifically, who they've offered to, and where those guys are trending, we'll make sure to cover all that right here on the Locked

On Hawkeyes podcast. Again, I thank you all for tuning in to the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. If you want to listen to another Locked On show, I highly recommend the Locked On Bets podcast hosted by your boy Q and handicapping expert Lee Sterling of Paramount Sports. They do a great job of breaking down three to four games every single day telling you who you should bet on at betonline.ag. So make sure to check them out every single Monday through Friday. They do a phenomenal job. We will be back tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday.

We have a crossover episode with the host of Locked On Kentucky on Thursday, so stay tuned for that. Tomorrow we're going to be giving you a preview of the Iowa basketball game, so stay tuned for that as well. Again, thank you all for tuning in. Have a fantastic Tuesday. And as always, Hawkeye Nation, let's go Hawks.