Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Kyler Schott's injury impact plus which Iowa football players are showing up in preseason

Episode Date: August 23, 2021

We are back discussing media day takeaways including the news that Kyler Schott would miss the start of the season. How does Iowa replace him and what does this mean for the Iowa football team's offensive line are our big questions to answer today before we jump into which former Hawkeyes are showing out in the preseason.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!SweatBlockGet it today for 20% off at SweatBlock.com with promo code LockedOn, or at Amazon and CVS.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.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. 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 Monday morning episode of the Locked On Hawkeyes Podcast, your daily podcast covering your Iowa Hawkeyes on the Locked On Sports Network. As always, I am your host, Andrew Wade, and I'm excited to be back. I had all those shows dropping last week, but they were pre-recorded. I'm excited to be recording some content that is based off what is happening right now for you.

I had a blast in Alaska, but it is time to get back to business and deliver you the content that you want, you need, and you deserve every single day, Monday through Friday, especially as we prep for the Iowa football season that is beginning in just under two weeks. Before we get into that, though, you've got to check out the Locked On NFL preview show. The NFL season is about to begin and nobody covers it like the Locked On Podcast Network. August 30th through September 8th, the Locked On NFL Podcast is previewing every team and every division with the help of Odyssey's lineup of NFL experts. Follow the Locked On Ultimate Season Preview 2021 feed on the Odyssey app or wherever you

get your podcasts to tune in beginning August 30th. And on the show today, we have a lot of stuff to cover from last week. I figured we're going to have media day. We're going to have some commitments. We had summer league news. There's also some random news across the Big Ten with Northwestern and Nebraska, which I think really impact the potential success of those teams. We have the preseason going on right now. So we're going to cover all of that over the course of this week. On today's show

specifically, we're going to get into media day though. What did we learn? What are we going to do about that offensive line with Kyler Schott being out? Who's going to start at wide receiver? We're going to be talking about that on the show today. Get into some preseason talk. And if we have time, wrap up with a few tidbits based off of a question we post on our Twitter account. So that's all coming up on the show today. But stay tuned. If you're looking for recruiting content, that's coming tomorrow.

We have a fantastic interview with the host of the Locked On Pistons podcast talking about Luka Garza. He had some really awesome stuff to say there. They are a huge fan of Luka in Detroit, so we're going to talk about that on the shows later this week. And this is a reminder that on Monday's episode, next Monday's episode, we're going to YouTube, baby. That's right. YouTube is going to be having the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast

Monday through Friday, so you can see my beautiful mug or ugly mug, whatever you want to call it, every single day if you want to on YouTube as well. So let's get into it. As far as the media day goes, whatever you want to call it, every single day if you want to on YouTube as well. So let's get into it. As far as the media day goes, some decent takeaways, I guess we could say. The first one that we found out about was Kyler Schott was injured. Kyler Schott, a guy who I think is one of the best guards in the nation. PFF thinks he's the number eight guard in the nation.

I think he's one of the top guards as well. Getting some love from an NFL draft perspective. I think he's one of the top guards as well, getting some love from an NFL draft perspective. And he was expected to solidify that interior offensive line alongside Tyler Linderbaum and Cody Inc. Unfortunately, he is not going to be playing the season opener, and he's more than likely not playing against Iowa State either. When bailing some hay, jumped off, it sounds like, and hurt his foot, landed weird, and he was probably going to be out, I would guess, until Maryland.

They don't want to rush him back early. We've seen them try to do that with certain offensive linemen in the past, and it hasn't worked overly successfully. Iowa typically tries to play the long game, and knowing that they have a lot of fantastic players behind these kind of guys, they try to hold out as long as they can. Look at how they've used, you know, Larry Jackson beingson being injured coy cronk when he was injured last year um iowa just wants to rotate and other guys to try to uh help those guys get to the healthiest level when they do come back so with that being said i highly doubt he's back for iowa state which there is a hope that he is

but my guess is maryland you're not going to play him against Colorado State or Kent State, so why not just wait until that Maryland game, wait until he's completely healthy. You get him for two-thirds of the season. And honestly, out of all the positions on the team, I feel a little bit more comfortable about the backup there with Justin Britt. Justin Britt, a guy who I think is going to be an offensive line stalwart for the Hawks for the next couple of years to come.

This is just going to be his breakout moment. He's dealt with some injuries, which has been unfortunate, but he's a guy, a three-star recruit out of Indianapolis, got time immediately with the Hawks, played in four games, and he sees him as a true freshman played in four games, I should add. So right now, just a redshirt sophomore. And technically, if you count the fact that the COVID year, he's technically still a freshman, I believe.

All things considered. So, but listed as a second-team right guard going into spring practice this year. With Kyler Schott being out, he is the guy that is expected to step forward and take that guard spot. Now, that being said, Iowa does like position versatility across the offensive line so if they feel like there's a better matchup if they feel like the tackles are playing better they maybe slide in a tackle like a Mason Richmond inside or Nick DeJong maybe they do that with Connor Colby who knows so it's not his job completely yet but my guess is when Iowa takes the field against Indiana, it is going to be Justin Britt. So that's my expectation there. It is a huge loss, no doubt about it. A huge

loss to not have Kyler Shaw in the lineup, but Justin Britt, again, I think he is probably the sixth guy on that offensive line. He's going to be stepping in. I think as long as he can stay healthy, he'll be playing pretty well. In other news across the offensive line, we had some interesting developments as well. Mason Richman was taking all the snaps at the number one left tackle spot. Jack Plum is listed at number two. On the right side, you had Nick DeJong and Connor Colby battling it out. Connor Colby, being a guy who is very new to the program, has only been through spring practice, a true freshman this year. Mason Richmond has been in the program a year or two,

and he is a former four-star recruit. So these are big-time guys. And if you remember, Aleric Jackson, a guy who started all four years. Tristan Wirfs, a guy who started as a true freshman. Only went three years because he was just that freaking good. When you look at the potential here, looking at a Mason Richman or a Connor Colby, it might be some growing pains early, but those guys starting right now would be

huge for the Hawks long-term. Mason Richmond, a red-shirt freshman after red-shirting last year in a weird COVID year, only seeing three games, which technically still has four years of eligibility. But this would be very eerily similar to what we saw a couple years ago with the Larrick Jackson and Tristan Wirfs if Mason Richmond and Connor Colby ultimately claim those jobs. But don't count out Nick DeJong or Jack Plum. Anyone who's listened to the show knows I am not the biggest Jack Plum fan. I expect that he is going to continue to develop and grow. But last year, he looked overmatched, in my opinion, against a lot of the Big Ten teams he went up against. I felt like he wasn't able to handle speed rushers. When he was in the game,

he was consistently graded out as the worst tackle on the field. And when you look at the tape, it backs up what you're seeing from a grade perspective as well. So to me, it seems that either Mason Richmond is really playing superiorly or playing outstandingly, or Jack Plum is not developing the way Iowa coaches expect. Although that being said, when Kirk Ferentz talks to the media, he feels like it is really a four-person battle. Any one of those guys could step in and play for them, which is a good problem to have. But again, when I look at the glass half full or the highest

ceiling, I look at Mason Richmond and Connor Colby, two younger guys getting in there. But whoever ultimately starts at the tackle position on both sides, I will respect that decision and be excited about the prospects of either of those guys. But an interesting development as Jack Plum was the number one left tackle coming into spring practice and now Mason Richmond getting all the snaps there. Alongside, on the other side with Connor Colby, really positioning himself in that battle as well. Could we see two freshmen starting on the tackle spots? That would be a very interesting development for the

Iowa Hawkeyes. Coming up on segment two, we're going to get into one other, you know, kids day takeaway, the media day stuff and talk a little bit more about the wide receiver position. I thought what Kirk Ferentz had to say was really interesting there as well. And then we're going to get into preseason talk and ultimately wrap up with a quick Twitter question. So that is all coming up on the show today. So stay tuned for that. Before we get into any of that, though, you know, I have to tell you about sweat block, because guys, there's anything that's not fun to talk about. It is excessive sweating. You know, when you're sweating through your shirts for no reason. It's embarrassing, right? I personally

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Just, this is just a reminder. If you're looking for recruiting talk, we're talking about that tomorrow I will land at a four-star running back. I want to cover all of that and that will be done on tomorrow's show, but getting into the rest of the media day and the kids day takeaways, one of the interesting things about kids day is that oftentimes the defense is further along than the offense. That is expected. It is not overly concerning about the offense in that regard, but what we saw was the running game did a fantastic job. They were actually putting the defense on its heels

and consistently finding holes through the defense and gashing them. I don't think this is an indication that Iowa's defense is bad. In fact, I think Iowa's defense will be one of the best in the nation. But this is a good indication that Iowa's offense is humming. Now, from a quarterback perspective, we still need to improve that side of the ball, or that position, I should say, um, Alex Padilla struggled. Deuce Hogan had several really big plays, but also struggled as well. Spencer Petras is relatively consistent. Um, what I didn't realize though,

about Spencer Petras. And then we found out was that he was out a lot of last year due to COVID protocols. Now it was starting to make a lot more sense why he struggled even more than I thought, why the progressions, why his reads, why he wasn't able to get the ball out as quickly. Those were all indicators that he was not mentally ready. And that was not meaning that he is not ever going to be mentally ready, but he didn't get those snaps that he was expecting to get with the offense. He clearly was not in sync with Iowa's wide receivers, which you could tell quite often. So I'm really excited to see if Spencer Petras can improve with a full off season under his belt with the time to develop that chemistry with Tyrone Tracy Jr.

And Nico Reganey, who is going to be the other starter and some of the younger guys as well, which we'll get to Kirk again, spoke very glowingly about the wide receiver position. And specifically he said, Keegan Johnson has done a really nice job, did a nice job in the spring and Ireland has done the same thing. spoke very glowingly about the wide receiver position. And specifically he said, Keegan Johnson has done a really nice job, did a nice job in the spring,

and Arland has done the same thing. And when I say nice job, they're doing a nice job on the field, but also they've been really impressive in regard to the way they kind of handle everything. Everybody comes in differently. Everybody has a different way to react into the loads of taking 14 to 15 hours to the workouts, the practice,

all those things that you do in the spring and then the summer. And both of them have so far just kind of taken it in stride. Really haven't seen them have a meltdown or anything like that yet. That part's been pretty impressive. So they're definitely in the picture. And as I mentioned with the offensive line, Mason Richmond, Connor Colby have the ability to potentially do the one-two punch of Larrick Jackson and Tristan Wirfs that we saw several years ago. the one-two punch of Larrick Jackson and Tristan Wirfs that we saw several years ago.

Arlen Bruce and Keegan Johnson have the ability to do the same thing that Mira Smith-Marset and Brandon Smith did as freshmen. Now, when you look back at that season, that was the season that we had Nick Easley. That wide receiver group was not nearly as talented as it is now. That's not a knock on that wide receiver group. Nick Easley, my in-season co-host, Matt Vandenberg was also on that squad as well. I think he was coming back from an injury that year, but a phenomenal receiver for the Iowa Hawkeyes. But outside of Nick and Matt, there really wasn't much. And then we saw Amir Smith-Marset start getting some snaps. We saw Brandon Smith start getting some snaps and they really solidified themselves as the guys to turn to going forward after that season. So to me, when I look at it, that kind of reminds me of this season.

We have a Tyrone Tracy Jr., we have a Nico Reganey, and I really like Tyrone Tracy Jr. I think he is going to be a phenomenal wide receiver, and I think despite how talented the wide receiver group is in the big 10, he could contend for all big 10 at that wide receiver position. When you look at Nico Regani, I think there's a lot of room for improvement from him. He is not, he doesn't have the best hands, some concentration issues there. And then you have Charlie Jones who has not really played a lot of snaps at that wide receiver spot. So then you have Charlie Jones, who has not really played

a lot of snaps at that wide receiver spot. So when you look at the 2017 season, Iowa had Nick Easley with 51 catches. You had Matt Vandenberg with 28. You had two phenomenal tight ends and Noah Fant and TJ Hawkinson. And then Brandon Smith had three catches. Amir Smith-Arsette had 18. I expect a similar level of production from Amir and Brandon. I think they're really going to come in and be either the third and fourth guys or the fourth and fifth guys, but Iowa's going to want to get them on the field, especially Arlen Bruce and his versatility, and Keegan Johnson, his ability to play several different positions,

and especially positions that Iowa doesn't necessarily have as much depth at from a wide receiver spot. That is going to be huge, in my opinion. I think they are going to be big-time players this year, and then especially going forward. Kirk Ferens also mentioned that Jack Johnson, Desmond Hudson, and Jackson Ritter are all doing pretty well. Again, I think this just speaks to the embarrassment of riches that Iowa has at the wide receiver position, and the fact that Iowa, not just at the offensive line,

not just at the defensive line, but across the board has a lot of really talented youth. And this season, I've talked about this before, I think this season could be really special for the Iowa Hawkeyes. But if it is not, I expect next year and the year after to be huge for the Hawks. They have so much young talent. This team is going to come together. I think we could be entering the golden years of Kirk Ferentz's tenure with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

So I'm really excited about that. Coming up on segment three, we're going to quickly get into some preseason talk. And then if we have time, get into an interesting question that I posed on Twitter about what player in the last five years can make Iowa be the best version of themselves this year. We're going to get to all that on segment three of the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Before we get to that though, you know I have to tell you about Built Bars. Built Bar is the best tasting protein bar on the market today. They come in nine delicious flavors, sweet, salty, fruity, whatever you want.

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BetOnline.ag, your online sportsbook experts. And let's turn our attention back to segment three of the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. We're going to be jumping in to some preseason news because Iowa Hawkeyes are making waves across the board. And prior to me going on a week-long trip to Alaska, we had a few hosts of other lockdown shows. We had Tic Tac Titans, we had Sarah Bettinger of Lockdown Broncos, and we talked to Luke Braun of Lockdown Vikings about those Iowa Hawkeyes, respectively. The one I really want to focus on is Makai Sargent

because Tic Tac Titans, locked on Titans, right? He said Makai is a guy, a camp body, but has been relatively impressive in his time here. But the Tennessee Titans have a lot of running back depth. Makai Sargent is going to make that decision difficult, though. The best thing you can do is just make this decision as difficult as possible. And if nothing else, try to showcase what you can do across the league. Makai Sargent this weekend had a big day.

16 rushes for 78 yards. Had a really nice receiving touchdown. And really driving through contact well. Broke several tackles. And Tennessee is abuzz about Makai Sargent now. Currently he is second in the league in rushing yards. So again, if he is not able to earn a spot on the Titans, he at least probably has a practice squad spot.

And if he doesn't, he should be able to land somewhere in the NFL. Pretty darn good for what you could consider to be your backup running back for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Now, that's all, you know, he kind of rotated pretty often. But again, the number two running back for the Iowa Hawkeyes, Makai Sargent, should be able to land on a roster this year. A guy who is not going to impress you with his speed. A guy who is not going to impress you with his speed. A guy who is not going to impress you with his quickness. But overall, just does a lot of things right.

Falls forward, always does the right things, and has great hands and is good in pass protection. I expect, I think at this point, I give him a 35% chance of making the roster. I would go higher based off his performance. However, Tennessee just has such a depth has so much depth at running back, I think it's going to be difficult for him to find a spot there. But I do believe it's 100%, I would say 90% that he's going to be on the practice squad within a couple weeks if he doesn't make the active roster. Sean Beyer also had a big day as well.

Denver's tight end room is really interesting. They have the first two spots locked up with Albert Okunwunigon. I can't say his name. And Noah Fant. At spot number three, though, it is really up for grabs. And I think Sean Beyer is doing what he can to show he should be there. He's made several nice catches. Also just caught a touchdown pass in the last Broncos preseason game.

I actually think the chance of him making this roster is probably 65% to 70%. It'll be interesting to see how many tight ends they keep and what they do from an h-back perspective Denver has typically wanted to keep an h-back and that hasn't impacted the tight end spot a ton if nothing else he's definitely going to land on that practice squad as well Amir Smith-Marset has had an up and down camp but as when we talked to Luke Braun he is really making his name known on that team, just trying to, you know, get all the information he can from the veteran guys, being really close to Adam Thielen. And then in the preseason, he has done a very good job returning the ball, despite struggling a little bit in practice, had a 41 yard return in his past preseason game.

Amir Sarmarset going to make that roster. It's really whether or not he'll be that three, four or five receiver. But I think he's making whether or not he'll be that 3, 4, or 5 receiver, but I think he's making a name for himself to be the special teams guy there where Minnesota has been just struggling to find a guy to carry that special teams. Then second-year player A.J. Epinesa has been making some dominating plays. I believe this is going to be a breakout year for A.J. Epinesa with him playing at the right weight for this Buffalo Bills team. Again, Buffalo did not need him. I think that's what people are kind of forgetting. Buffalo did not need A.J. Iponeza with him playing at the right weight for this Buffalo Bills team. Again, Buffalo did not need him.

I think that's what people are kind of forgetting. Buffalo did not need A.J. Iponeza, but when you see a talent like that fall in the draft, you kind of have to take him, and that's what Buffalo did. So I think this is going to be a big-time season for A.J. Iponeza. He's already making some waves in preseason play. Expect him to have a breakout season. Also, interestingly enough, C.J. Beathard was second in preseason in passer rating, trying to lock down that number three spot in Jacksonville.

If they do decide to hold three spots, I don't know if that will actually happen, but he's definitely not getting anywhere past one or two with Trevor Lawrence and Gardner Minshew. But definitely it's good to see him at least playing relatively well in his spot time that he currently has. Honestly, I was not the biggest C.J. Beathard fan from a perspective of NFL draft status, but he has done a good job of sticking with it.

And with San Francisco, he did a really good job of slinging the ball, in my opinion. Not going to be a guy who wins you 12 or 13 games clearly but he's not afraid to sling the ball and that's what you want in a backup quarterback almost kind of like ryan fitzpatrick with a little bit less magic at this point so it'll be interesting to see if they do decide to keep three quarterbacks and if that third quarterback is cj bethard then geno stone also making a name having two interceptions in one game having a good preseason as well as So he tries to latch onto a team after being released last year a couple different times. So that gets me in just real quickly before we end the show.

We posted on Twitter in the last five years, which Iowa player would you want on this team? And I think it's a really interesting question because it kind of goes to what the depth is of this team versus impact players. And also, are you picking guys based off how they perform in the NFL, like a George Kittle? Or are you picking guys based off of how they performed in college? I think the obvious answer here is C.J. Beathard. The biggest question mark on this team is whether or not Spencer Petras can be the quarterback. So if I'm looking at this team, I want a reliable quarterback.

So my first pick would be C.J. Beathard out of guys in the last five years. My second pick would be A.J. Epineza. I don't think the defensive line is devoid of talent, but A.J. Epineza is a dominating figure and his presence would make anyone on that defensive line better. That would probably make Iowa the number one defensive line in the entire nation. Number three, Tristan Wirfs. I really do think Iowa is going to be fine at the offensive line spot, but anytime you can get a guy like Tristan Wirfs back on the team, you've got to take it.

I think he would be an amazing asset to the running game and a protector for Spencer Petras, and he could be even playing that blind side with L. Eric Jackson gone. Again, I didn't pick George Kittle. At Iowa, he was a good player, but wasn't the same George Kittle we're seeing today. He was still developing. I think some candidates I would also consider, Davia Nix him.

That interior pressure was just so phenomenal, but I am really excited to see Y.A. Black. The secondary is just so strong, but can you imagine adding Desmond King? What a chess piece there. Iowa could really match up well against some of those spread attacks then. I love the linebackers, but Josie Jewell, anytime you get the outlaw, you've got to get him. And then James Daniels, I think that's an underrated pick. That interior offensive line, especially with Kyler Schott going down, James Daniels will make a very big impression there as well.

Let me know what your thoughts are, though. Find that tweet on our Twitter account. Let us know. A lot of fun banter back and forth between Hawkeye fans. We really enjoyed that as well. That does do it for our show today. I'll be bringing more energy tomorrow. I'm recording this after two hours of sleep and a six-hour

flight from Alaska and some delays and whatnot. So I hope you all enjoy the content. We will be back tomorrow continuing our recap of the past week and what happened, getting into some recruiting and talking a lot about the Summer League, including an appearance by the Locked On Pistons host talking about Luka Garza. Before we end, though, if appearance by the Locked On Pistons host talking about Luka Garza.

Before we end, though, if you want more Locked On content, betting on your team does not have to be a guessing game if you listen to the new Locked On Bets podcast, hosted by your boy Q and handicapping expert Lee Sterling. Get daily picks, blowout specials, wrong team favorite picks, and Lee Sterling's lock of the day. Follow the Locked On Bets podcast brought to you by Betonline.ag, wherever you get your podcasts at. And that does do it for our show today. This is the Monday episode of Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. If you liked it, give us that five-star review and subscribe wherever you downloaded the podcast app. And follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

And when we get our YouTube channel up, make sure to go subscribe there as well so you can watch my ugly mug present to you on YouTube. So that's it for the show. Have a fantastic Monday. And as always, Hawkeye Nation, let's go Hawks.